The World I Only Know Continues
by Alewar Warinot
Summary: Did you really think I would let this story die? Well guess what? I'm not going to let that happen! This is a continuation of chief93's collaborated story with me. Fans of this story, come and get your long awaited chapter because I am continuing this! P.S I really need a cover image for this thing.
1. The World an Idol Only Knows: Flag 2-5

**This isn't a takeover of chief93's fanfic. You guys may already know me as his co-author. Let me tell you this, I am just a certain guy that liked his idea and wanted it to bear fruit. Now, he has things he wants to take care off on his own. The reason why I am continuing this story is that I want to honor what little time we had and finish this story arc and two more girls in his name. So without further ado, I will now begin the world an Idol only knows.**

* * *

 **The World an Idol Only Knows**

 **Flag 2.5: Tour**

So it is finally happening? I didn't think that I would be moving out of my comfort zone so soon in my life. But, I do not find fault with any of it. It was only a matter of time.

"Alright everyone! Let's wrap this up and call it a day!"

Somehow, I made it into a world I barely knew. No, more like _entered in_ without any warning. Who knew that showbiz could be such a tiring job?

"Where do you want me to put the sound system?"

Now, I find myself slowly learning things… I had no idea that this is what it was like.

"You can move it into the RV, Katsuragi-kun!"

Through the eyes of the stars who perform on the stage.

..

 _Earlier that day…_

I got up and met with Okada, Kanon's manager. I told my mother that someone hired me to become their helper. When she asked who employed me, I gave her a silent stare.

If my mother knew that I am working with an idol, then I might be stressed along the way. So, I told her that it was something that a classmate invited me in, who was also giving me a good deal in the matter.

My mother smiled and gave me a hug for some reason before I finally left.

Originally, we were to meet up at the studio in Narusawa, which meant taking the early train. But I received an e-mail from the fake 3-D idol to meet up at their commercial shooting here at Maijima Studios instead.

So I took a bus to get there. The 3-D idol was already on the front door of the building waiting for me, along with her manager for some reason.

I contemplated whether I should show myself to them but the fake idol approached me before I could even make a decision.

"Good Morning! Katsuragi-kun!" She greeted me quite energetically and full of enthusiasm. Not how I usually start my day.

"G… Good morning," I still find it hard to greet someone, especially if the girl I am talking to has sinned far too many times against me. But I digress, this girl hired me so I am going to stay professional about it.

"You are early today, Katsuragi-kun." Okada said as she finished talking to her phone. She looked slightly annoyed when she came over to me. I wanted to ask her what was wrong when suddenly the door to the building opened.

"Sorry about that everyone! Here is your entrance I.D.!" A slightly aging middle age man with graying hair and wearing a beret came out and greeted us. He looked to be around his late forties. He gave us identification cards as he led us inside.

"I trust you have prepared everything for Kanon's tour director," Okada said as we made our way to an elevator.

"Why of course, mademoiselle! We hath prepared everything for the fine lady at the studio! We will be pleased to know if everything is to your liking!" I blinked. The way he spoke sounded strange and out of context.

"Ah, Katsuragi-kun. This is our director here in Maijima City. He is a French national that retired here and now owns the studio. If you find his Japanese weird then please don't mind." I turned to the fake idol who was giving me a nervous smile as I turned my gaze to the director. It actually explains why I almost didn't understand much of his speech. The tone was different to what I am used to and the way his voice bends made my mind go blank for a second.

"We are here, everyone!" The director said with a laugh as the elevator door opened.

Inside was the studio, it was a wide and spacious enough to give a lot of room to work on. The farther end of the studio was mostly devoid of anything other than cables and wires leading to another room. While on the other side are cameras, a sound system, motion capture cameras, a table filled with snacks, a water dispenser, and green screen which I know is used to make CGI.

"Kanon-chan and Katsuragi-kun," Okada called me out from behind as I notice the fake idol with her. "Come with me."

Without any hesitation, I ran towards them as Okada opened a door and led us inside. The room is filled with clothes of different types, the kind which you see worn in commercial ads. I look to Kanon who gave a smile as she held my hand.

"This is my dressing room, Katsuragi-kun~ You can have your break here with me once we are done with the commercial~" I slightly blush at the way she held my hand before I yanked it away.

"I thought that we- excuse me, I mean _I_ was going to help out with your tour? Why am I here with you inside a studio so early in the morning rather than on the road?" I asked the fake idol as I fixed my glasses up.

"I can explain that," Okada step forward as she held a clipboard. "The sponsors for Kanon-chan are picking up a RV for her to use in our travels."

I raised my eyebrow to that and Okada caught on with my confusion.

"The company wanted to fly to the city we are going to have our concert on. But the sponsors wanted us to ride on a vehicle, bearing their mark to advertise them, during the whole tour." Okada said while releasing the breath she held.

I massaged my temple at that. I thought that we were going to ride on a plane and book a hotel to get ready for the concert but the fake idol's sponsors had to make things more difficult for us. This whole thing is redundant of them.

"Is there anything else that I should know?" I asked as I removed my hand and turned to the manager.

"The RV will be ready tonight, while the others will take a flight to get to the concert and prepare ahead of time." Well, at least the other working hands will be busy while we wait for them. "Other than that, I have a job for you to do as we make stops along the way."

I gave a sigh before she continued, "We will be going to Tokyo and we will be taking the long road while bringing some of our equipment there to cut off expenses. You will also be handing out fliers about the concert. Do you get things so far?"

I mentally rolled my eyes as I nod my head. "Is there anything else you want me to do?"

Okada put a hand to her chin as she thought of what to order me. It didn't take long before she gave an answer, "Just make sure that no one gets near the RV as we go."

And with that she left the two of us inside the room. If I didn't know any better, I believe that the manager completely forgot that I was a boy. The stress of making this tour happen must be getting to her.

"Ano," I turned around and immediately turned around only to have blood rush to my face.

"WHY ARE YOU UNDRESSING!? I AM STILL HERE!" I yelled as I try to control my blush.

"S-sorry, I wanted to change into my outfit. The two of you were taking too long so I thought I should go ahead but I forgot to get the costume on the hangers."

Suddenly, thunder struck in the background as all of my signals flared up to eleven. A certain feeling that I have rising into my chest… the danger lingering in the air… I have felt this before(in games)!

"C-Can you p-please hand me the blue one with the light yellow skirt?" She said while blushing behind a foldable paper screen.

Yup, every fiber in my body recognizes this death flag when it sees one.

"C-can't I just call someone else? M-maybe your manager?" I stuttered as I tried to pull excuses out of my ass.

"N-No! I-If you come out now… then everyone will think you are a pervert who waited for me to change!" I-I can't deny the possibility that this may cause a misunderstanding.

"F-fine!" I yelled as I try to regain my composure. I went to the open closet filled with clothes and looked for the dress she wanted. A blue one with a light yellow skirt combination, was it?

"Is it this one?" I asked as I brought out a blue blouse and a light yellow mini-skirt.

"Ah, yes! Give it to me here!" She yelled as she moved back behind the folding screen and reached her hand out.

I mentally blushed but physically remained calm. Although I knew, I am facing a death flag… I must approach this with extreme caution. Any wrong move and I may end up being fired or worse, hounded by the fake idol's many fans and get burned in a stake!

"Okay," I slowly moved forward cautiously. My head switched back and forth from the door to the hand that begged for the dress. I gulped, as I slowly got closer. When I finally came into arm's reach of her, I stretched my hand out and gave her the dress.

But, by some cruel twist of fate, I slipped on the spot which caused me to panic and grab the nearest thing to stop my fall but failed.

I hit my head on the ground, which made me disoriented. My vision was blurry but I noticed that something soft was on my chest. Suddenly, more thunder sounded in the background as my vision slowly returned to me.

I was facing the ceiling.

When I looked down… what was on my chest… I immediately regretted it.

"Auu~ Katsuragi-kun, I didn't think you were clumsy."

" !%^#%*"

I immediately got up, hand her the dress and ran out the door as fast as my legs can carry me. I slammed the door shut behind me as I draw short-quick breaths.

"You okay there kiddo?" I raised my head from the ground and found myself staring at the director. I gave a tired smile as I replied, "Everything is fine sir, nothing to worry about!"

And with that I ran to the other side of the room and bump into Okada. She was looking for me because I was supposed to follow her out of the room. I didn't really want to give any retort of the sort and just plainly apologized for my misdemeanor.

The day continued and the commercial was a success. The RV was parked and ready for us to use but I need to bring the sound system with us, which meant carrying the heavy tool from the studio to the elevator and all the way to the vehicle.

"Good job today, Kanon-chan!"

"Congrats on a successful commercial, Kanon-chan."

"Good luck with your tour Kanon-chan,"

And behind me, the staff are showering the fake idol with praise even though all she did was act a few lines and pose for the camera. I didn't really have the time to look at the commercial as I was playing my games in the background, which Okada didn't notice.

I got onto the elevator, I pressed the button and waited for the door to close until a hand cut in and stopped it from closing.

"Wait for me, Katsuragi-kun~"

If I didn't know any better, I would say that this fake idol is somehow obsessed to get close to me.

"Just get in!" I ordered as she got inside while I pressed the button again to close the door and lead us down the hall.

"Ne~ Katsuragi-kun," The fake idol called out as I stood still. I was carrying the sound amplifier with me so I had to. "Would you think… that I did well on the commercial?"

Why is she asking me about this? Didn't they shower you with praise not too long ago?

"I don't know, weren't they praising you with compliments earlier on how good you were?" I asked as I wished the elevator would move down faster.

"…"

She became silent all of the sudden, which irked me. The fake idol was usually talkative for some reason so not hearing any form of retort from her is discomforting. I turned my head to the side and looked at her. She was smiling at me… though it felt unusually hollow, the kind that I only see with Yanderes- OH CRAP!

"I saw you playing your games during the commercial," I visibly gulped as I moved my eyes away from her. "Ne~ Katsuragi-kun~"

Suddenly, I felt shivers go down my spine once. However, this feeling was different to the one I had before, I currently stuck on an elevator with a dangerous individual mere inches away from me with no escape. In other words, I'm about to die by the hands of the fake idol.

"Are games… more interesting… than looking at me, _Katsuragi-kun?_ " Suddenly I noticed the background turned black then turning gray as it moves to the center. On the ashen background was the fake idol, now a menacing existence ready to take my life.

" _Ne~ Katsuragi-kun?_ "

A huge surge of electricity passed through me as cold sweat dripped into my clothes. My throat was dry and I couldn't move my eyes away from her. I was too afraid of what would happen the moment my eyes moved away from her small frame.

*Ding*

I never thought I would say this, but I was glad to hear that familiar sound of a bell ringing through my ears. A beacon of light opened and shined a new path for me. I immediately made my escape and went for the door, while still holding the audio device in my hands. I turned around after taking a few quick short breaths.

"I-I wasn't looking because I was too cautious around you!" I yelled as I tried to make up excuses. "I-I still remembered about what happened in the changing ro-!"

I immediately clamped my mouth shut as blood rushed to my face. The fake idol stood there, a blush on her face as well.

"Ah, yes… p-please forget about that." She said as she moved her eyes away from me. "I'll see you in the RV later, Katsuragi-kun!"

And with that, the angel of death was sated… for now. I thought for a moment there I was about to meet my end inside that rectangular sized coffin. I released a sigh as my legs turned to jelly.

" _Why did I ever accept this job!?_ "

..

Okay, somehow, I really regret accepting this job. Want to know why?

Well, my curious lost lambs, the reason why I am regretting this job is not because of the fake idol. Understandably, I can tolerate her… somewhat. The manager is kind enough to actually let me work in the industry in exchange for games so it wasn't her either.

No.

Why am I regretting accepting this job?

"Sponsored by Krayon*" Read the ad on the side of the giant vehicle.

Is because the sponsor of Kanon is none other than that failing company that I promised to burn to the ground! They have fully revived and have now set their sights on being sponsors for the fake idol. Of course, this is nothing else but a way to rake in some cash for their greedy pockets.

" _ **Why must it be them?**_ " I harshly whispered to myself as Okada, the manager, and the fake idol went inside the vehicle.

"Katsuragi-kun," I gave a long sigh before I turned my head to the manager. "You can put that sound system inside. Also, you will be coming with us!"

I froze for a moment there. Did I hear that right?

"Umm… excuse me, manager. But what did you mean by coming with you?" I asked a bit shakily.

"Hmm? Weren't you informed? The reason why I hired you is that you will be our roadie*! Kanon-chan actually recommended you, which was unexpected of her, and decided to humor her and check on you. You weren't a big fan of her and you are her classmate so I took you in."

Internally, I can imagine the collective minds of my person flipping tables on what I just heard. I was _never_ informed of this! How the heck was I suppose to know!? Unless…

"Teehee~" The fake idol gave me a playful smile before turning the curtains.

This girl… she seriously won't stop making me her fan. **I. AM. NOT. GOING. TO. LIKE. THIS.**

..

Inside, the RV isn't actually bad. There was free wifi, the furniture is nice and soft, a sink and fridge for food, two bunker beds, and a rest room for when we need the toilet. I took the front sit with the manager while Kanon is on the back doing something with a piece of paper.

"Say, Katsuragi-kun?" During this time, I was actually playing my PFP since I had nothing to do. The manager didn't mind but I paused my game just so that I can hear her out. "What is your relationship with Kanon-chan?"

…

"Classmates?"

"That isn't a good answer, and did you just say that with a question mark in the end?"

I slightly turned my gaze to the right, "Maybe,"

The manager sighed as she turned her eyes back to the road.

"Listen, Katsuragi-kun, Kanon-chan, she… doesn't have any friends to rely on."

I shifted my eyes slightly to the left and gave a humming sound.

"So… if you don't mind, can you be her friend?"

I returned to my game and went to a save point and turned it off right after. I slightly stretched as I kept my eyes on the road.

"That's not for me to decide, manager. Only the fake- I mean, Nakagawa-san can decide that."

"I see…"

It took five minutes before our conversation started again, during that time; I continued my conquest of another girl.

"Do you want to know why I am telling you this?"

I shook my head. I am not concerned for the fake idol.

"Let me tell you then, you see, Kanon-chan is originally a part of an idol group called Citron which tried to promote their lead singer."

I rolled my eyes, I blatantly told her no but she continues to give me this unneeded information.

"Really?" I said just to make her think that I was interested. "Is that how she became an idol today?"

It was silent for a few moments. I actually had to lower the sounds my PFP was making to make sure that I was hearing right.

"Partially,"

"Partially?"

"Yes."

I landed on a save point and turned off my PFP once again. This time I am giving my full attention to the manager.

"Interested this time?" She asked with a smirk as I rolled my eyes. "Well, Citron is comprised of three girls, their lead singer was not Kanon-chan… she was the supporting cast for someone else."

"Someone else?" I asked curiously, as the manager nodded.

"Did you know that Kanon-chan had longer hair before her debut?" I shook my head as the manager smiled. "Well she did, and when she had it cut off, along with removing her thick glasses, she suddenly stood out."

Thick glasses? So she wore glasses too.

"Because of that, the company that was supposed to promote the lead singer promoted Kanon-chan instead. And in the end there was a-" She suddenly stopped talking. It was if she went too far into the conversation.

I remained silent for the rest of the drive. I never asked her to continue as this involved the fake idol's private life. I have no right to enter her world when she doesn't even know mine.

"Sorry…" was the last thing manager said before driving the rest of the way to Tokyo.

..

The next day, we stopped at a filming shoot, which will help promote the fake idol on her tour to Tokyo. Apparently, she isn't well known outside of Maijima so promoting herself with a short film will help rake in a crowd… or so they hoped.

Honestly, in my opinion, the whole shoot was a complete disaster. The director who came in from Tokyo was harsh and often yelled at the fake idol. It didn't help when she keeps failing a single line every time during the shoot so the development team thought of a solution. They asked for the fake idol to tape a pre-recorded audio of her voice using the lines and they would do the rest.

To say the Director wasn't pleased was an understatement as they had to resort to using CGI instead of Live action. He said nothing, however, as Okada stared daggers towards his direction.

"The director yelled at me…" The fake idol cried depressingly as I continued to play games in the background and tried to ignore her.

"It wasn't that bad," I lied hoping she would go away.

"You messed up a bit… but the guy made it worst by pointing it out." It isn't part of my job description to cheer up the fake idol… however, I don't want this tour to be cancelled due to her depression and leave me with nothing for all the hard work I had done.

"Uuu…" She continues to cry even though this is the biggest break of her career. I heaved a sigh, I normally wouldn't do this but the 'real' decided that I should comfort her… and give her some positive reinforcement by giving a little advice.

"Did you know that it takes one thousand hours for voice actors to make a recording for a single game?"

"…huh?" She stopped crying for a while, which was the whole point of this conversation as I went on.

"They do hours and hours of recording for the lines of each individual character in a game. All of them, given a unique trait and quirk which allows them to seem real in both manner and sound." While doing this, I nonchalantly gave her one of the earpieces I was using so that she can hear the voices of the girls I am trying to conquer.

"Why… are you telling me this?" She asked curiously, as I slightly turned the volume up.

"Because I am telling you it is not your fault that you missed a single line." I can feel her gaze to my right as I ignored it and continued to play. "Like how you messed up in a line, voice actors too need hours of recording to give a certain character the proper feelings to make them feel alive."

I chose to use this chance and show her a bit of the world, which I reside in. I clicked a button and the scene on my PFP change and music started playing in the background.

"The atmosphere you give," I told her as a soft melody played as the girl appeared with tears in her eyes. "The feelings your character has,"

Then we hear her voice, it was soft but filled with emotion. The one I have heard so many times that I cannot get enough of it. "The feelings you want to portray in your own voice,"

And with that, the girl confesses her feelings for me. "And most certainly, the words you want _someone_ to hear the most."

I turned to Kanon as the music stopped playing for a moment and the screen turned black.

"The words you want _someone_ to hear the most?" She asked completely mesmerized by the game as it turned back on showing a grandeur scene where the girl kisses the player.

" _The player_ ,"

The screen turned black once again as the credits roll down.

"Like how each heroine is different from one another, their words, their feelings, and their love for the player is brought out for only them to hear. This is what it means to be a _heroine_." I told her as I reached a save point and turned off the game.

I put away my PFP as I turned to Kanon who was no longer in tears. A brief smile appeared on my lips before disappearing completely. I reach my hand out to her, hoping that she would hand me back my earpiece. Instead, she gave me her hand.

"T-thank you… Ka-, can I call you Keima-kun?" She asked suddenly as she stood up. I didn't really think it through but I gave a nod so that we can move on from here.

"Keima-kun," She said with a small smile as she leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek, "Thank you."

She left me there stunned as I place my hand onto my cheek. I noticed that the earpiece that I wanted from her is now in my hands as well, which I almost forgot.

"Having a little fun there, Katsuragi-kun?" I jumped slightly from the intruder to my left. I turned and came face to face with Okada, the manager.

"W-What?" I asked a bit incredulously.

"I saw what you did there. You cheered Kanon-chan up; I'd say you even might've scored a few points in her heart." What I would give to be out of this situation I am in right now. My face was turning red so fast it might as well be a tomato.

"D-Don't be ridiculous! I-I don't have any feelings for Kanon!" I yelled out as I try to calm myself.

"Kanon? Since when did the two of you were on a first name basis?" And just like that, the blush which I tried to contain further intensified.

"S-Shut up! I-I didn't call her that!" I said as I turned away.

"Whatever you say, Katsuragi-kun."

That day, Kanon- I mean, the fake Idol went with the development team and recorded her lines for them. At first, she seemed nervous as she often stuttered her lines. But, when she reached that one line that she kept messing up, her gaze shifted towards me and her voice changed. Her voice stopped chattering between her teeth and we can hear her clearly. The director was at a loss for words when she reached the end of the recording. Heck, most of us didn't think that she would do it so well on her first try.

With this, we could have ended it there but the fake idol insisted to try again. It took a few tries and she finally managed to reach the goal she desired. The dev team actually praised her for her work. They told her how the way she acted was so real that they almost forgot that it was a voice recording and not a shooting.

The dev team then told the director if they should show the making instead of a short commercial. The director, the manager, and the dev team made a small arrangement and argued for a bit, on how they should promote the fake idol.

In the end, they all agreed to the dev team's plan and allowed for a short behind the scenes moment where Kanon was making a recording of her voice. It also premiered one of her new songs in the background, which was, actually eye catching. It will probably be enough to get the attention of some of the fans from Tokyo, and probably garner new ones, excited and go to her concert.

The fake idol was all smiles that day as the director apologized to her and complimented her for a job well done. The manager and I couldn't help but be glad that the main star is still up for the challenge ahead as we head out to Tokyo Dome for the live concert.

..

We finally reached Tokyo and booked a room for the three of us to rest. Unfortunately, Okada had to drive us all the way here from Maijima which was difficult considering that she is the only one who has a license to drive.

We took a few stops at some shops to eat breakfast and often we stopped by on terminals to take a few hours of rest before continuing. One time, I had to do an emergency parking when I noticed that the vehicle was moving weirdly making me choose poorly on my game console.

Anyways, the room we were in wasn't too bad. There is a Tv with a lot of different channels. The Hotel is close to a gaming shop, which I personally liked. The beddings and bathroom were very western despite our eastern culture. Overall, the place is the perfect living quarters that the three of us have ever lived on.

Sleeping in a moving vehicle was actually unappealing to say the least. I would constantly shift from my bed and often times I would fall down from my bunk. It didn't help when I often had to keep one eye open if the fake idol decides to bother during the nights.

"So, is everyone good to go?" Okada asked as she had us change out of our usual clothes.

To my surprise, the manager actually bought me a change of clothes and these aren't just normal ones too. They are the type of clothes you usually see with a few popular models on magazines. Fashionable is the word that describes what I am wearing right now.

I was wearing a light-blue hoodie over a white t-shirt, baggie gray pants, and a pair of navy blue sneakers. These weren't the usual clothes I would wear but they were the only ones available.

Kanon wore a red ruffled jacket under a white tank top, which showed the curves of her breast. She sported black skin-tight leggings, which defined the lines of her legs while wearing black strap-on boots.

Okada switched her now exhausted business attire for a new one.

"Do I really have to wear this?" I asked out curiously since I feel so out of character.

"We'll be doing a _lot_ of work, Katsuragi-kun." The way the manager said it made me cringe from the inside.

"But first, we are going to go and work with Kanon-chan's regular schedule." I actually looked up from that. I turned to the fake idol who was surprised to meet eye contact.

"Fuweh? Umm… I am actually scheduled today to go to a morning broadcast studio and introduce myself. We are also going to advertise my concert there to get some of my fans to come."

"Is there anything else I am supposed to know?" I asked with a bit of a groan. I noticed the fake idol look away guilty which raised alarms.

"Fake Idol- Nakagawa-san, what are you trying to hide?" I asked as I approached her slowly.

"Umm… there is more to it… I have a shooting after the morning broadcast around noon. Then during the afternoon, there will another shooting near the pool." My veins on my head nearly popped as I heard that.

"So you mean to say, you will be dragging me around Tokyo for the whole day?" I asked, a shadow cast between my eyes.

"Yes,"

I sighed, this was actually within my expectations… because this is the fake idol's standard. She is going to drag me to pretty much everywhere she goes. Well, at least I won't need to do much.

"Let's go you two, the morning broadcast has already started. Our scheduled meeting isn't too far behind."

And with that we started the day by going to a studio building where they televise about morning tv. Kanon was introduced a little after the world news. The morning cast introduce and welcomed her on stage as the crowd cheered.

To my surprise, there were a lot of the fake idol's fans among the audience. I took this opportunity to hand out fliers to them. But this only caused them to cheer more. The cheering died down once the crowd was satisfied and the day went on.

After we ate lunch, I just ate a clubhouse sandwich prepared by the staff in the shooting. This time however, the fake idol came to me, concerning about her problems. At first, I listened in hopes that I can quell her worries before they escalated. But by the time we reached the final scheduled shooting of the day I noticed a pattern.

A very disturbing pattern…

During lunch all the way the end of the final shooting, the fake idol has me listen to her worries thirty-six times. What made it disturbing is that most of them were mundane worries.

How she was worried about her hair not combing down, the fact that she can't swim despite being near only a pool about four feet deep, and the times when she just wanted to… talk.

She, whenever there was a break in-between shoots, talks to me. Asked me about my hobbies, the things that I like, and the food that I eat. She generally asked everything concerning my life.

Then, I noticed something change, between us… I felt that… I can really relate to her.

She has also taken a liking to display the wardrobe they give her for me to see. I told her that she shouldn't do these things 'cause I will see her wearing them during the shoot. But, she persisted that it was important to get my opinion about the clothes she wears.

This marked the end of our day. Tomorrow, is where things truly begin…

 **Author's note:**

 **Okay, this is something I have been working on for a while now. To tell you the truth, chief93 and I plan to have a tour using three areas. I ended up sticking to one and that is Tokyo.**

 **Also, the next chapter is going to be about Kanon this time. Or Keima? Yeah, switching between point of views is tough. Anyways, this portion is actually our original goal. Whoops, better not go into detail until I reach the next chapter.**

 **Hope this gets some of the old fans to pick this story up again and follow it. Like I said, I am going to work and finish this story in honor of my friendship with chief93. Feedback is greatly appreciated.**


	2. The World an Idol Only Knows: Flag 2-6

**The World an Idol Only Knows**

 **Flag 2.6: The Grandest Stage of Them All**

 **Disclaimer: This is a fan-base story. All scenes are a work of fiction and are no means based on real events or people and are likewise pure coincidental. The World God Only Knows is owned by Wakaki Tamiki, please support the official release.**

I find it strange…

A few days ago, I wouldn't have imagined performing in this giant dome…

Everything went by so fast that I am barely catching up.

I couldn't breathe, I barely speak, and the times when I couldn't eat or sleep drifted by like grains of sand blown by the wind.

The path towards stardom allowed me to experience new things, meet with a lot of people and establish a new legacy for myself. But it also gave me _burdens._

" _I wish you are here with me…_ _Lime… Yuri…_ "

My concert is being held here in Tokyo Dome, a place which mirrored Narusawa Seaside Hall but only bigger. I'll be the one performing on this stage, like so many had before me. It was considered a privilege and a once in a lifetime opportunity. I'll be singing in front of thousands of fans and somehow… this twists my stomach into knots.

This finally means that everyone knows who I am. That I am no longer forgotten, or a shadow that just blends into the background. I've taken this huge step in my life… in my career.. and yet…

" _Why do I feel so alone?_ "

What was this feeling in my chest?

Why am I constantly reminding myself how I got here?

...

Am I not an Idol?

.

.

.

Yes, I am.

.

.

.

Yet, I feel that I haven't accomplished anything…

Though I know that not a lot of people make it into this industry… showbiz… but, there are always people out there with talent… _raw talent…_

But talent isn't the only trait needed to become an idol; you also needed charisma or likeability towards the social public.

This is probably the reason why I was chosen to step up… and what our leader lacked at the time.

Our fans, they don't know what we do outside of our performances, that we are more than a group of aspiring idols who wanted to get promoted. The truth is that all three of us treat each other like sisters. Probably more than those who related us by blood or by the times we shared with others…

As we love each other dearly… we try not to hide anything. Whether it is problems outside the stage, feelings that leaves us worrying… doubting… even panicking over, or simply walking towards our dreams… our common goal.

The three of us, not too long ago, promised that one day, we will perform in front of a lot of fans at Narusawa Seaside Hall. It was a place full of hope, dreams, life… it meant so much to us.

However, I stand here all alone. The irony, it didn't matter what we thought or who should promote us. The fans only focused on one girl… the one who shined the most…

" _What do they think of me now?_ "

I am an idol. I am Kanon.

But what makes Kanon an idol?

"Ne," I called out to the boy beside me who was intently staring at his portable handheld game. "Katsuragi-kun."

It was silent for a moment until the boy raised an eyebrow, "Hmm?"

"What do you think of me?" I asked curiously as the boy momentarily stops playing his games for a moment.

"What made you ask?" For a brief moment, our eyes met. It feels strange. Though Keima is nothing more than a nerd who likes playing games, his gaze often feels like it can see through me.

Keima is a great mystery to me, despite the colorful world that he plays in and the girls he shamelessly declares to love more than the real. Yet, he is the same age as me… and my classmate.

Originally, I wanted to make him into one of my fans. He poured salt on so many of my old wounds that I wouldn't forgive myself unless I made him into one of my fans. However, for the past few days, I became curios on _who_ Keima is. His life, the things he did, and the things he likes. Every time, I would often see his brow twitch in annoyance before saving his game and turning to me. Other times, he would continue to play and talk to me at the same time. At the start, I dismissed him as nothing but a gross otaku. But now, I see him more as normal teenage boy.

He didn't just play his games, he _loved_ his games. He gave everything he had in every game with every girl. He takes his time, memorizing and taking the _best_ action with a smile of confidence in each girl he successfully won over with love.

In those eyes, is a happy man satisfied with life _?_ He ignores anything that annoys him and yet lends his time whenever he can.

Granted, for the past few weeks, we had a shaky relationship. From time to time, I would often catch him flinching when I feel angry towards him. But that was just how he responds towards my aggression. This boy has _truly_ been beside me for much longer than my parents or my manager, who thinks of me as an equal… as a human being.

"I just remember an old goal I had," Keima nods and resumes playing his games.

"If you have finally fulfilled it then congrats," He said halfheartedly while staring at the gaming screen.

I giggled a little, his attitude always reminds me of the times when I was a child. I didn't think much about life back then… but little did I know that it would strip me away of my innocence.

I now know the responsibilities that came with being a teen idol. It wasn't an easy endeavor but I persevered.

" _Should I tell him?_ " I wondered to myself as I relived what happened in the past.

 _Maijima City… years ago…_

I remembered how it all started… we were just freshly out of middle school for that year. I was leaving behind bitter memories of the days where everyone forgets about me, to include me in their lives.

During this time, I met Lime and Yuri. They were my closest friends and would often invite me to hang out with them or often talk over the phone. They are the reason why I could bear with the fact that I feel practically invisible to everyone else.

Lime was an aspiring girl who wanted to become an active teenage idol for Maijima City. Yuri is actually leaning more towards studying and getting to a University she had her eyes on for a long time. I, on the other hand, got dragged along cause they worry about me.

I didn't really complain. I like how Lime and Yuri get me to come along with their plans and ideas. I liked how the three of us would achieve the greatest of things by just being together.

Our first live debut had us wearing winter garb while performing on stage. Of course, Lime was the center of attention while Yuri and I are her supporting members.

The three of us practiced after school, often at the Karaoke booths or even on someone's house. It didn't matter where we go, we would always find a way to practice and get noticed by sponsors.

However, the three of us could barely make it through. The world of Idols was a completely different experience than the time in middle school. Those who worked hard and performed better hopelessly outshined us.

By this time, things weren't bright but we kept the dream alive.

That's when I decided to step up and change my image. Normally, I would perform with my glasses on but, as my friends pointed out, they were getting in the way of my face which troubled fans because they couldn't see me.

So, I took it off.

From there, things became a _lot_ different. First, we suddenly became popular. News of a trio of idol girls became widespread not only in Maijima but also a small number of fans in Narusawa.

We suddenly had offers from companies who wanted to represent us and boost us in our careers. It was the greatest hit we were hoping for; it was everything that we wanted to achieve.

But everything changed when the sponsors decided to make me the center of our group. It was a shock; truly, it still sends a chill down my spine when I am reminded of the event. The management wanted me to lead our group up in the idol industry. At first, I was happy that they put so much faith in my skills. Then, I remembered that I was doing this for Lime, our leader, the one who dreamed of becoming a top idol.

Initially, I wanted to refuse but Lime… she stopped me. She told me how it was fine that I should take the spotlight and lead them to the top. I remembered that I was trembling when her hand touched my shoulder. The responsibility was too great for me but Yuri touched the other side of my shoulder and smiled.

"We will be with you all the way," She said that with such a reassuring voice that I stopped trembling.

I turned my gaze to the management and with a bit of hesitance I agreed with their terms.

During our Junior High years, we spend our time rehearsing or practicing. We barely had time to study but Yuri somehow manages to balance her schedule to do so.

Lime, however, was pushing herself. Sometimes, it would go too far and she would collapse from exhaustion. Other times, she would barely be attentive on meetings or when we rehearse.

I didn't know what to do at this point. I barely have any experience on how I should help out Lime so I turned to Yuri for advice. Yuri, by this point, has become academically inclined than the two of us. It was an achievement we were proud for her.

"Lime, she feels that she is weighing you down, Kanon-chan." Yuri honestly said after a day of practice. Lime was away refreshing herself while the two of us waited outside as per our usual routine before going home.

"Why? Why would she push herself to get better? I think that she is doing fine as of before." I said with a hint of worry. Yuri looked upset as well but never said anything about it.

"Kanon-chan, it was her dream that we are trying to accomplish. What do you think she feels when you suddenly took that dream away from her?" Her words stung but it was the truth. I- we did this for Lime, for her goal of becoming Maijima City's Top Idol.

And I took that away from her.

"Kanon," I look up and saw a side of Yuri I haven't seen before. She wore a serious look that expels all of my brooding feelings. "You shouldn't feel down about this. It couldn't be helped that you became more popular than me and Lime."

She was right, but I couldn't help feel that I wronged her. That she was pushing herself because of me.

"Then, what should I do? I feel that she is slowly losing herself, Yuri! What should I-" I was cut off mid-sentence as the door behind us opened and out came our leader, Lime.

"Sorry for the wait! I hope I didn't make you guys annoyed by waiting for me." Lime changed out of her normal uniform for the one she normally takes before going home. She caught me in the middle of what looked like an argument between me and Yuri.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked a bit worried. I unconsciously let go the grip I held on my hands as I turned to her sadly. Yuri, on the other hand, smiled.

"No, there is nothing wrong, Lime." She turned to me as she added, "Just that someone was starting to get worried about you."

Lime turned her gaze from Yuri to me. I refused to make eye contact as I looked to the side. I didn't notice when she moved but Lime was suddenly in front of me, holding onto both of my shoulders.

"Lime…" I said weakly as my gaze turned to her eyes. I can barely notice the bags under them and the way they almost seemed out of focus caught my attention. But I never brought it up.

"Kanon-chan, listen to me, I am trying to catch up to you." The words barely registered to me once she let me go. I just stood their nonplussed.

" _Lime…_ " I barely heard myself speak those words… her name. Before me was no longer the bright and positive outlook of our leader. She was now a different person, someone who is struggling with and against herself.

" _Just like me…_ " The thought passed by unsaid.

"Don't worry, I promise to catch up to you!" She raised her arm up and raised her thumb. "You can count on it!"

For a brief moment, I felt glad. Yuri smiled, after a while of silence. Lime smiled too and the three of us went home.

The rest of the months passed by like days, in this time Lime had significantly improved like she promised. Yuri took the time to tutor us on our lessons when it was time to take exams.

Everything was going smoothly for the three of us. It felt like our bond became stronger.

However, the same cannot be said for our fandom. Our fans, at first they wanted all of us to perform. Each of us had a part to play, a script to follow. But as the numbers increased, so did their individual interest.

When it was time to make a poll, the results shocked not only us but also the company.

"This is becoming a serious issue," This was pretty much the gist of things. If Keima was there at that time, he would probably sarcastically point out how annoying it was. And he would be right.

Because of Lime's efforts, she became popular in her own right. She was nearly reaching my level of popularity. Yuri, on the other hand, had very few support from fans but she was satisfied with the result.

But, the reason this is becoming an issue is because of the fans. They were no longer our fans; they were either Kanon or Lime's fans. Not Citron's fans. The company actually became increasingly worried of what might happen. Or what the public will think of having Kanon continue being the lead idol while Lime was a shining star of her own right.

For the longest time, the three of us were worried. For what the future would bring. We continued to rehearse but the needs of the fans became public. There was even a fight on one occasion that we had to subdue with the police.

The stress of the needs of our fans became too much. Too much for the company to handle… that they were forced to separate us.

"I am sorry girls, but I believe it is time that all three of you separate. Now." The company head, who was supportive of our dreams, finally decided.

"I know what you are all thinking but believe me when I say that it pains me to do this. If only the fans weren't so violent with their love for you then we could go on. But, the fans know what they want and if we do anything that they would dislike then it will come back harming your popularity." The way he said it was purely with sorrow. He watched us practice through the years and knew of our progress and struggles personally. We would never have asked for a better sponsor than them.

"We made a few contacts. Lime-chan, you will be moved to Narusawa where most of your fans reside. We know a person there who jumped at the opportunity to sponsor you so we know you are in capable hands." Lime looked overjoyed but we knew that she was taking the compliment with a grain of salt. All of us knew her dream and now she can never fulfill it.

"Yuri-chan, you can stay here with us if you like. There aren't a lot of people who wanted to take you on and try as we might but no one else accepted our offer. Do you still wish to continue your career as an idol?"

Yuri had a satisfied smile on her face. She closed her eyes for a moment before finally making her decision.

"No," She said with absolute certainty. "I think it is finally time I retire. I made a promise to both Lime and Kanon-chan a long time ago. And now that I have fulfilled it, partially, I think it is time to chase my own dreams."

The rest of us smiled as we accepted her decision. Not a lot of people know this but Yuri is our strong support who brightens the darkest of our days. Who brings a smile to anyone who feels down and gives the right amount of seriousness to those around her.

"Kanon-chan, we contacted a couple of our contacts and found a company working in both Narusawa and Maijima. They also have a talented young manager who is willing to work with you twenty-four seven." The look on his eyes was a tired one, like he spent a good amount of time looking for a sponsor who will help me.

"Thank you, manager. Thank you for always supporting me, Lime, and Yuri." I said with tears on my eyes.

The very next day, it was announced that Citron was disbanded. Lime moved to Narusawa where she is stationed to become an idol. Yuri retired and moved on with her life at school. She transferred to a different school after Junior High; she said that it was to help her reach Tokyo University.

Meanwhile, I stood where I am now, a promising young idol who won the newcomers award. I reached the dream of being recognized by everyone. The dream of reaching the top.

But it was never mine in the first place. It wasn't the dream I wanted to follow. I-I just wanted somebody to notice me. This wasn't what I had in mind when I first joined but here I was performing in the grandest stage of them all.

 _The present…_

Things were getting set for the big performance later this evening. Everyone was working hard, making sure that the stage was just right that even Keima was forced to lend a hand.

I was in the dressing room, browsing the many clothes that I will have to wear later. I can just imagine the audience in front of me. As I wear the dresses during different songs. It was unfortunate that I couldn't finish the song that I planned to sing for the opening act. I guess I'll have to work on it more after this.

"Whew," Keima came in barely holding his breath. He looked completely rugged on his new clothes. I turned and thanked him for all the hard work he did.

"Is _that-_ your usual response- in this situation?" I couldn't tell if he was annoyed as he spoke between heavy breaths. I tried to give him a hand but he raised his own to stop me.

"I'm fine," He said with a bitter smile on his face. But the look of hidden satisfaction was evident in his eyes, "How are things in your end?"

I gave a playful smile as I moved slightly to reveal the wardrobe prepared for my live show later. He took a few moments to stare at them all while giving a frown.

"Are these the clothes you'll be wearing?" I gave a nod as Keima searched around the room.

"I don't like them," He said plainly as he opened a few empty trunks before looking through some of clothes in the closet.

"Why? I think that the clothes are just fine." I pointed out as I honestly think that each of the clothes fits the theme of each song I will play.

"Yes, but they don't fit the theme of the tour." That actually caught me off guard. What did he mean by theme of the tour?

"Here, put these on. I'll turn around while you change." He said as he turned. I don't really understand the thought process that Keima has but I think humoring him will do no harm.

I changed into the clothes he gave me and noticed that sleeves were loose on each hand. I also noticed that my skirt was kind of short but not in a way that would cause me some trouble.

"I'm done!" I said as Keima turned around and inspected me from every angle.

 _Ba-thump_

For some reason, the way he is discerning me with his eyes caused me to become self-conscious.

 _Ba-thump_

Now that I think about it, this is the first time that I wore something that Keima recommended. Is this… what he likes?

 _Ba-thump_

Did I do my hair right? Do I smell funny? I haven't put any make up on yet so I may not look pretty. Why is it suddenly becoming hotter in here?

"It suits you,"

It took me a moment to realize that Keima complimented which brought me out of my thoughts. I look back up and saw him looking through some of the accessories.

"But I think something is missing with your look," He said while searching through the pile. "Will this do?"

I couldn't see what he was holding since his back is turned against me but I took a few steps closer to look before he suddenly turned which made me jump.

"Here, wear these." Keima handed me a small golden tiara and… a rather large pink ribbon.

I looked at the items he gave to me, how the two differ from each other even though they serve the same purpose. I looked at the tiara; it had three points with two emerald gems on each end. I blinked at that, why was such an expensive tiara among the accessories?

I then turned to the large pink ribbon. It was a bit bigger than the one I use to tie my hair but noticed the length of the string was much longer. I turned to Keima and raised the ribbon with my hand.

"That is supposed to go around your waist; it will serve as a makeshift cardigan. Go ahead and wear them."

For once I saw Keima gave me a genuine smile. I slightly blushed at that but shook my head. Keima doesn't see me as anything more than a classmate… and a friend.

"Alright," I said with a slightly forced smile. I don't want him to see me frowning. I don't want him to see me sad.

"…" He was silent for a moment as he just stared as I put on the tiara. I noticed that it will probably fall off if I moved my head too much so I moved it in-between the sections of my hair.

The ribbon was a bit trickier. Sometimes it was too lose and other times it made the ribbon look crooked.

"Here, let me help," Before I could turn to Keima and decline he was already holding my waist. This made me involuntary yelp because of the action.

"You okay?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. Sweat slightly formed under my brow as I shook my head.

"Y-Yes, just a bit surprised." Keima nodded and proceeded to work on the ribbon. The whole time, I couldn't help but blush whenever his hand brushed my hips.

It took about five minutes before he was done. He gave me a meaningful look as he did a once over.

"You should look at yourself at the mirror. You'll be surprised," He said as he moved away from the mirror. What I saw took me by surprise.

The white cream top that has long loose sleeves, which nearly surpasses the length of my hands, with pink cuffs at the end and a pink collar around my neck matched with the pink skirt that showed my front thighs but reach all the way on the back of my legs. As I moved, I noticed that the skirt would sway in a way that caught my attention to my legs. The large pink ribbon's cotton fiber complimented not only the layout of my clothes but also acted as my makeshift cardigan which was actually quite cute. But what probably caught my eye was the tiara place upon my head, it hang closely along my ahoge and though it was small its presence was huge.

The way I looked… I felt like I was mix between a shrine maiden and an idol. It felt like I was something much more.

"What do you think?" Keima said with a knowing smirk which lasted for only a second. The way he fixed his glasses reminded me so much of my manager.

"I-It's great!" I said honestly and with a genuine smile on my face. "I love it!" I added cheerfully.

"Good," He then turned around. "You will only wear this outfit for the concert."

I turned to him with surprise. Did he honestly expect me to only wear this outfit? True that it is probably the greatest one I had worn in a while but still it wasn't his choice. What would my manager think?

"Keima-kun, I don't think we should do this. I mean, the staff chose these clothes for me and we already have a schedule planned-"

He cut me off before I could continue.

"I don't think it would be a problem," He gave me that knowing cocky look of his that he only has whenever he reached a desired outcome on one of his games. "Isn't that right, manager-san?"

I looked at him confused before I heard the door open behind me. I turned around and found my manager, Okada, go in with a smile that I only see her use during one of my scheduled meetings.

"Ara, Katsuragi-kun, I had you peg for a boy who only works for _so_ little." The way she talked nearly sent a shiver down my spine. The last time I saw her like this, it was during one of my assigned meetings out of town and we had a delay due to traffic.

I still remember the dangerous glint of her glasses when the director of the shoot got mad at me. She didn't show this last time during our drive because she needed to focus on the road.

"I do," Keima said uninterested with the topic. "But you are paying me in games so I will do my end of things the best I can."

Okada raised an eyebrow though her smile never faltered. "And this involves going around the stage doing your own thing and then return here with an idea of your own?"

Keima and Okada shared a rather long stare down. It felt like electricity was forming by just their gaze alone. I didn't know what to do and the silence was almost bone chilling.

But Keima gave a smirk, the kind he reserved for when an unexpected challenge or _bug_ presented itself in the game. He had that all-knowing look on his face that dares to take anything on.

"I never leave a game… incomplete, Manager-san." His gaze turned to mine briefly before turning back to Okada. "And if my job involves me _lending a hand_ then I shall."

Okada was silent which only let Keima continue, "But you have to admit, that what she is wearing now pales in comparison to the other dresses you have planned for her to wear."

I blinked at that, I did think that the combination of clothes seemed weird or don't match my style but for him to actually notice. And here I thought he was busy playing his games all of the time.

Keima's brow twitched slightly, "Why do I feel that someone here is looking down on me?"

I guiltily look to the side as he put a hand to his chin. Okada smiled something which surprised me since I rarely saw her give a smile.

"Alright, Katsuragi-kun," Her gaze turned to me as she eyed my clothes. "We will… allow her to use these clothes during the concert."

Even though it looked like Keima won their silent argument, he didn't smile. "But?"

"But, if things turned out to become a failure… then I will have your head. You'll be axed for this and it will affect you heavily once you decide to look for another job."

I turned to Keima and noticed his look of disinterest despite the fact that Okada was basically threatening him of making his future employment very difficult.

"Heh, I don't really care about that." He then walked pass her and came closer to me.

"Keima-kun," I whispered to myself as Keima place his hands on my shoulders.

"Fake Idol- I mean, Kanon…" I gave him a look before he gave a sigh. "Kanon-chan, do your best out there. I- I mean, we've prepared everything for your concert. All you have to do is show your pretty face, sing, and give the fans a good time."

He then patted my shoulder before walking out. "I'll be watching your performance this time. After all, my games are riding on your success!"

If I didn't know any better, I would believe that Keima was being tsundere. It actually caught me off guard and made me blush deeply that my heart was still aflutter.

"Kanon-chan," I turned to my smiling manager, she had a look of defeat as she pats my back. "I look forward to your performance today. Give them a great time out there."

And with that she leaves me alone in my dressing room. I can still feel my heartbeat fast as I try to calm myself.

In times like these, I would close my eyes and think happy thoughts or the things I like. It is still two hours before the concert and I still have a lot of time in my hands. I decided to change out of the clothes I am currently wearing and rehearse.

Today, I'll be performing on a stage way bigger than I anticipated. I don't know what everyone has planned for me but the way Keima calmly assured me earlier actually calmed my nerves. I couldn't help but think how cool he was as he handled the situation. Like this wasn't the first time he lent a hand.

" _Did he always have that look of confidence on him?_ " I thought to myself as I continued singing.

I never saw him give that look outside of his games. He would often play around during our work schedule and now that things are finally coming together… he became unexpectedly helpful. Not that he wasn't helpful before, if the confidence he gave me during my failed recording was any indication. It was just a bit surprising. He would just be there, doing nothing but play games but when it was time to work he would give a lot of effort just to finish the job.

It was like he was saving up his energy just for today. Still, the question is what he and others had prepared for me on stage. I wonder how will things end up?

 _Two hours later… Keima's POV_

It was almost time for the concert; I wonder which song she will go with first? I checked with the staff and I was impressed with their preparation. However, the clothes weren't good and if she went out wearing any of them then the show will outshine both the fake idol and her clothes.

I looked at the audience, from behind the stage, and noticed a large number of them wore specific clothing. One was from Maijima City, another from Narusawa City, and even some of them are representing Tokyo.

The minority seem to be average ranging from teenagers to even a variety of adults. I can even see a parent bring their child with them to the concert which I personally questioned.

Nevertheless, her promotion video raked in a few of the crowd from Tokyo and even a few curios individuals. There are even some who looked important from among the crowd, some with sunglasses on even though they are inside the dome and it is nearly night time.

"So you've noticed?" I turned around and found myself face to face with the fake idol's manager. "Those guys are the critics from Tokyo; they will decide the fate of Kanon-chan as either a rising star or another rip-off of the old generation idols."

Even though I didn't really understand why they were invited to this event I understood that they serve a purpose. I can still remember the idols my mom used to idolize… is this the reason why I keep spouting some of their names without even thinking?

"So, they are the sharks that are ready to sink their teeth to fresh bait?" I asked quizzically. Okada giggled at my play of words before nodding.

"As much as I like for things to go smoothly, I think it is best that Kanon-chan just enjoys herself." I told to no one in particular. Okada didn't say a word though I knew that she agrees with my words.

Suddenly, the lights turned off all at once. We were left in certain darkness for just a moment before neon lights brightened up the once empty stage. In the middle of it, is none other than the girl who will take center stage.

She wore the dress I gave her with a mike on her hands. I slightly gave an appreciative smile before narrowing my eyes. Things are truly going to be different now. The stage is set and the star has entered the building. A lot of her fans gasped in surprise, probably because of her sudden appearance but mostly due to the clothes she wore.

Immediately, the crowd cheered a deafening roar that even vibrated off the walls. I had to cover my ears with both my hands as the cheering continued. I turned to Okada and asked her how she handles this kind of pressure.

To my surprise, she was nowhere in sight. She probably knew that it was her cue to leave and I regret to admit that I should've followed her example and join her.

I stood still here backstage, there was no point in coming out or taking a seat on the stage. For one they are all taken and for another most of them stood up and cheered making it impossible to find an empty seat.

She turned around chanting to herself.

 _1,2,3,4 1,2,3,4_

Kanon lifts her hands and raised her fingers and twirls around.

 _1,2, 1234!_

Suddenly, music started playing and the crowd cheered.

 _Hey! Hey!_

Then she started singing.

 _Holding hands with you on this road returning home in the twilight_

 _A smiling star appears from the descending orange cloud_

 _I wonder where my heart's antenna is facing to?_

 _I will find the signal 'cause I like you~_

She started dancing and I noticed the crowd get ready to jump.

 _Please, please darling baby feel it_

 _Please(Hey!), please(Hey!) show me your smile_

 _My life-size love will reach you_

 _You see darling baby, can you feel it?_

 _Please(Hey!), please(hey!) look over here._

 _I will give you the biggest "I love~ you~"_

The music went with a beat and Kanon called to the crowd with a shout. The crowd responded with a shout of their own.

 _Hey!_

 _Hey!_

I didn't even notice that two back-up dancers walked by and get on stage along with Kanon. Both were wearing black, probably so that they wouldn't out stage the fake idol.

 _Even if it clears after the rain, it'll soon fall again._

 _Sighing at the window, I want to meet you soon._

 _My feelings overflow, how should I tell you?_

 _I don't know, but you know? I love you~_

The chorus of the song started and they started dancing.

 _Hey, hey darling baby, believe me_

 _Hey~(Hey!) Hey~(Hey!) Don't be mad~_

 _I'll offer to you this unchallenged love~_

 _You know darling baby you should believe me~_

 _Hey~(Hey!) Hey~(Hey!) fall to my embrace~_

 _You know that "I want you", this is my highest grade~_

The music played as they danced. The crowd cheered and chanted to the song.

 _Even if I stumble into fate and become the "Alice" of a mysterious world._

 _I know that I will be fine, 'cause I'll be right~ by~ your side~_

The music began slowing its pace.

 _Please, please darling baby, can you feel it~?_

 _Please, please show me your smile,_

 _My life-size love has finally reach you~_

The music began picking up their pace.

 _You see darling baby, can you see it?_

 _Please, please look over here!_

 _I'll give you my biggest "I love you" just so you know~_

 _You know darling baby, believe in me~_

 _Hey~(Hey!) Hey~(Hey!) Accept my embrace~_

 _You know that "I need you" so please be by my side~_

The music played its guitar solo.

 _Come on everyone!_

A chorus of " _La's_ " started to ring my ears. The crowd also singed along as Kanon goaded them to join. They were happy to reciprocate.

This continued for a few more minutes with Kanon encouraging everyone to sing with her. Glow sticks raised along with Kanon's song and music.

 **A/N: It's better if you just watched the live performance of Darling Baby by Kanon. The reason why I didn't ask earlier is cause I didn't want to disrupt the flow.**

"Everyone! Thank you very much!" Kanon yelled without using the mike as the crowd cheered.

Well, this is one song. The back-up dancers left but Kanon didn't. This confused some of the musicians on stage but didn't question it.

Kanon gave a curt nod to the others and they took that as a sign to continue with the next song.

 _I flutter my short hair,_

 _I want to unleash a ribbon revolution_

 _A Ribbon Revolutionary future~_

I smirked, the song made me think that this girl is getting a bit cocky.

 _I want to hear everyone's voices_

 _May my love song reach to all of you_

 _A mad, madly in love melody~_

 _Will we meet again? I am sure that we will be able to~_

 _I want to tell you~ How my heart beats~_

 _I, my, me, Idol. I am an idol~_

 _I will shoot everyone with my "Love Cannon"! Bang! Bang!_

 _I, my, me, Idol. Please look at me~_

 _I will snipe at everybody's heart~ I won't ever let you go~_

I can see that the crowd was more rowdy as their glow sticks waved in sync.

 _I flutter my skirt lightly_

 _I fascinate you with a dance surprise_

 _Giving you a heart-pounding experience~_

Kanon reached her hand out to the crowd.

 _When everyone is having a hard time_

 _I will become a glittering star in the night sky_

 _Sparkle~ Sparkling… to shine~!_

She put her hand into her chest.

 _There is nobody stopping us, is everybody set~?_

 _The rollercoaster… is going to arrive~_

The crowd cheered as Kanon started to dance.

 _I, my, me, Idol. I, my, me, Idol._

 _I will aim for everyone's heart with my "Love Cannon"~ Bang! Bang!_

 _I, my, me, Idol. Look at me~!_

 _I have you on my sights~ And I won't ever let you go~_

Another guitar solo started as Kanon continued to dance to the hyped crowd.

 _I want to tell you,_

There was a pause as the music slowed but gradually picked up its pace.

 _I, my, me, Idol. I am an Idol._

 _I will shoot everyone with my "Love Cannon"~ Bang! Bang!_

 _I, my, me, Idol. Look at me~!_

 _This time I am aiming for your heart~ And I'll never let go~_

The crowd shouted, cheering and jumping to the music as it came to a close.

For some reason, I felt that there was an underlying message in that song she played. But I put that thought aside. Her next song will be the deciding factor of the concert and the critics so far haven't even moved from their seats.

I wonder how will you conquer their hearts, fake idol?

For a split second, I saw the fake idol look a bit nervous. I guess she noticed the critics not enjoying her performance. But that look disappeared and replaced with a kind playful smile.

I turned to the music players and I noticed the changed their positions. They are now more relaxed. The guitar player even switched with a violin which caused me to blink.

"What are you planning, fake idol?"

I knew that, for some reason, that we have a violin player among the musicians and that the violin was there for some reason. But, I never did ask what it was for. Is this her trump card?

Suddenly, the lights went off and the stage lights turned on. It was all focusing on the fake idol. The crowd somewhat changed from their energetic joy into a calm wave of confusion.

Suddenly, the music started playing as Kanon stepped forward.

 _Every morning, I see that sleepy person_

 _Wonder how old is he? And what is his name?_

 _I am~ kinda~ curios~_

Her voice was playful and charming which appealed a large majority of the crowd as they sat. I know the feeling; this was the same voice that made me fall asleep that one time on the roof. I can feel myself slowly relaxing and drifting off to sleep but I managed to hold on and watch.

 _Is it love at first-sight? Though he is not my type?_

For some reason I felt myself pale a little.

 _Why is it, why is it? Why is it hurting so?_

 _The small people in my heart clamors~_

 _How, how, how bright it is_

 _During class, during meals_

 _All 24 hours, in my dreams_

 _Though, I shouldn't, I love the ironic-love_

The violin player took the lead as the fake idol reached out her hand from one end of the stage all the way to the other hand. Some of her fans managed to toucher her hand while others simply smiled.

 _Consulting everyone, they say "don't" in harmony_

 _I know it~ But I won't stop it_

 _My head~ Floods with~ Chaos~_

 _Is this how it feels to love~? Can someone tell me~_

 _Why is, why is? Why is my heart skipping?_

 _I'm unable to sleep and eat everyday~_

 _What, what, what shininess~_

 _You're not curios, I am curios_

 _Don't want to meet, I want to meet_

 _Though I don't want it, I love the ironic-love~_

She hums to the mike as she sways from side to side. The clothes I gave her truly having a good effect as the critics on stage remove their glasses and just stared.

I felt a tug form on my lips as I turned to Kanon who had a troubled expression on her face.

 _I can't, take anymore of myself, I'll just become honest~_

 _Why is it, why is it? Why is it hurting?_

 _The small people in my heart clamors~_

 _What, what, what brightness!_

 _During class, during meals_

 _All 24 hours, in my dreams_

 _Though I shouldn't, I love this ironic-love~_

The music continues and slowly dies down. Kanon finishes the song with a bow as the entire crowd claps.

Not cheers but claps from everyone. Even the critics clapped for her as the tour came to a close.

 _Backstage after party… third person POV_

The stage hands cheered for a job well done as drinks were handed out. Keima was handed a cup of plum juice by an older staff member and congratulated him on making Kanon wear the clothes he chose.

Keima said nothing as he was praised for making the tour a success. Okada had nothing to say against it since Keima proved his point to her. She couldn't believe that the clothes she wore actually made her focus on Kanon more than the song. This caught her by surprise but she wouldn't admit this to Keima or anyone for that matter.

Kanon came up to Keima and gave him a hug. Keima was surprised by the sudden contact that he dropped the half-empty cup on his hands in shock.

Everyone laughed at Keima's funny reaction and teased him. As anticipated, Keima was not pleased. Kanon smiled however and thanked Keima for the job well-done.

After that night, news of Kanon's concert spread all over Tokyo at the evening hour. The internet was spammed with forums about Kanon's performance on stage. By the morning, news casters told of how successful Kanon's tour went and how many fans increased overnight.

Keima smiled knowingly while hearing the news which goes noticed by Kanon. She asked Keima if she did a good job.

"…" Keima's back was turned against her once again. Kanon was getting used to talking with the boy's back but she wasn't having any of that today. So, she traced her hands on Keima's back and traps him into a hug.

"Ne~ Keima-kun, did I do well in my concert?" Keima tried to pry himself off the young teen idol but Kanon proved to be stubborn.

Keima gave up after a minute before stopping completely. Keima hated to do this, mostly because he will be praising the fake idol who is a resident with the real but he decided to swallow his pride and give the Yandere her due.

He also wanted to remove that dreadful feeling of squishiness on his back as fast as possible before all the blood drains from his brain and heads to… a dangerous zone.

"You… did good, Kanon-chan." He whispered to himself. Although Kanon heard him, she was going to make him say it for all of its worth.

"Hmm?" She said while squeezing Keima which shook his spine. "I didn't catch that part."

Kanon, while having a Chesire grin on, notices the twitch on Keima's brow, something she became very familiar with.

"You did well, Kanon-chan." At this point, the blood that was slowly reaching down returned to his head and gave him a faint blush.

"Really?" Kanon asked as she let him go and went in front of him. Keima flinched but gave a nod. "Then give me a reward~"

In truth, Kanon wasn't really expecting him to give him anything. She knew that she was pushing Keima's buttons but wanted to joke about it since their friends and all. But to her surprise, Keima reached out his hand which was a gesture that slightly surprised her.

Kanon never really knew what it felt like to be praised for her efforts other than words. Sometimes, they would be meaningful but it never gave her that fulfilling feeling in her heart. But, when Keima reached out and rubs her head… Kanon felt a click.

"Auu~" Keima didn't think anything about the weird sound Kanon produce as he continued to pat her head. He knew perfectly well that Kanon's blush was more than just make up she put on earlier today.

In fact, he found it strange that Kanon… was strangely docile. It felt like he was trying to praise a little sister which he never had. For some reason, Keima felt that there would be someone else who would want the same treatment he gave Kanon but couldn't think of anyone who would.

The affectionate display didn't last long as Okada came in and stared at the scene in front of her. Keima barely noticed her the whole time. When he did, Keima yanked his hand away which actually made Kanon pout.

"I wanted you to continue a little more, Keima-kun." Kanon's pouting face was completely ignored with the dangerous glare that Okada pointed at Keima's direction.

"Katsuragi-kun," Of course, this surprised the young idol as she turns around face to face with her manager. "I will not condone any sexual harassment to Kanon-chan."

Kanon blushed at that but Keima merely sighed. "I know, you don't have to remind me the reason why."

Keima is very knowledgeable. So he knew that if news came out that the fake idol was harassed by him then the number of harassment from her fans will overwhelm him. And he has enough of that with a certain _runner_ at school.

 _Maijima High School… Track and Field…_

Ayumi was doing her usual run when she suddenly felt the urge to hit someone. Then and image of a certain glasses wearing gamer came into mind.

"Miyako-chan," She called to her classmate and friend. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what do you want?" Her freckled friend asked as Ayumi tightened her fist.

"Tell me when you see Katsuragi-kun, okay?" The look on her face looked terrifying to her friend.

"Any reason why?"

"Nothing, just wanted to hit him for some reason."

 _Back to Keima…_

Keima could feel an evil presence miles away from his location. The shock actually made him drop his PFP in absolute fear.

Kanon and her manager were surprised by the sudden noise that Keima's PFP made. Keima picked up the gadget and saw the game over screen before turning to full black.

"Keima-kun, is everything alright?" Kanon asked with a bit of worry.

"No," He honestly answered as he recovered from the dreadful feeling. "I just felt death flags raised all at once before suddenly falling to the ground in a mock surrender."

"Huh?" Of course Kanon couldn't comprehend what he meant.

"It's nothing," He said as he restarted his PFP again. "Things will be fine… I think?"

"Oh yeah, Katsuragi-kun." Okada called out as Keima and Kanon catch up to her.

"We will be leaving by plane later tonight. Do you want me to give you your payment now and buy some games here?" She asked as Keima's eyes went wide.

"Oh yeah!" He said completely nonplussed. "I forgot about that!"

Keima then brought out a piece of paper from his pocket. It contains a detailed list of games he want to by that are rumored to be located in Akihabara.

"There are a bunch of games that I want to buy here. I heard that there are some rare ones in Akihabara that I want to check out." Keima said before putting the list away.

"So, you plan on going there right now?"

"'Course I am! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Think of all the hidden treasure I could find there, waiting to be discovered!" Keima's glasses shined as he adjusts them. Okada couldn't help but sweatdrop at how serious he said. Kanon couldn't help but giggle at his childishness.

"Fine," She said as she took out a check. Keima took it from her as soon as she reaches it out. "But I want you to take Kanon-chan with you."

"Eh?"

"I heard that Akihabara is a big boom here. So…" Okada eyed Kanon before returning to Keima. "Take her with you; the two of you need a break after that big concert."

Keima didn't like how things were going. He also didn't like how Kanon's manager phrased her words. For one thing, Keima will have to withdraw money from a bank in Akihabara before buying games… and it was a weekend, not the best day to go to a bank especially if it is near the Holy Land. The other is taking the fake idol with him… which basically meant that the two of them will go around Akihabara together… like a-

"Keima-kun," Kanon called out to him as she holds one of his hands. Keima's eyes became dinner plates at the contact. "I'll be in your care~"

Keima prayed to any god out there that things won't get any worse…

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Okay, originally I planned to finish this two weeks ago. Around the middle or late November but something bad happened. The gist of it is that I lost my old laptop that I've endured to write in for years.**

 **The silver lining? I can finally get a new desktop computer now… if my parents can get one for me.**

 **Well, enough of that. So yeah, I wanted to make this into a by-monthly series because I was ashamed to have constantly neglected my part in publishing our joint project. But, originally I planned to leave this to Chief93 because he was becoming a promising young writer. That and I am a lazy arse when it comes to writing.**

 **Joking aside, I actually have free time in-between school and life. But most of the time, I spend it playing League of Legends but since the season is over then more time to write.**

 **So, the next chapter might be out a week or two from now depending on the situation. Also, I may not be able to write at all if things become hectic in school.**

 **Anyways, with Kanon's arc almost into completion I want to talk about the next girls and possibly the other characters. Chief93's OC is still going to have an active role in the story. My OC is also going to have an active role but he won't come out for the next few chapters. Nurse Joy has more merits than he does so he will be put in a bus.**

 **Also, that dark part that we promised long ago? Well, I actually want to work on that soon when I get there. I want to add a bit more maturity to the story than just the humor Wakaki Tamiki gave during his run. This would mean that some of the characters will lose their appeal to you guys.**

 **The real talk? Let's face it guys, some of these girls are impossible to encounter with the normal Keima. The first Ayumi arc was just plot convenience by the original author of this work which we then took over.**

 **Kanon's Arc is actually a real possibility even without plot convenience. She still wins, becomes an idol, and meets Keima on the rooftop and proceed to electrocute him. Nothing changes that encounter but reasonably speaking a real idol has a fulltime schedule so those long weeks when they meet is actually a real possibility that I make fun of.**

 **Literal weeks before meeting again, it also made for comedic moments when Keima was paranoid to the point of using too much money and playing more games.**

 **I am basically just experimenting at this point. Since Chief93 is the man who makes the setting and plot while I just add a few things and there to make the story interesting.**

 **Speaking of next encounters, could you guys guess who the next girl will be? If you guessed it right then I will publish the next draft much earlier. The winner will also get to have an honorable mention at the start during the disclaimer.**

 **Anyways guys, I like working on this project. My original story became a bust when I ran out of ideas on how to work on it. Also, if you read my first TWGOK story then you may find some similarities to that from this one. I'll be using some ideas from there and adding them here. Okay this is it, thanks for reading and please give a review on what you think. I want honest feedback from this story so that I can improve on it and work hard to publish more drafts faster. The girls are waiting for their turn after all!**

 **See ya!**


	3. The World an Idol Only Knows: Flag 2-7

**The World an Idol Only Knows**

 **Flag 2.7: A date in Akihabara**

 **Disclaimer: This is a fan-base story. All scenes are a work of fiction and are no means based on real events or people and are likewise pure coincidence. The World God Only Knows is owned by Wakaki Tamiki, please support the official release.**

* * *

The train ride here wasn't within my expectations. Even as I enter the nearest bank from there… not a lot of people are making any transactions.

There weren't much people taking line in here. I was totally expecting the place to be full. However, all this didn't bother me. Everyone is nice and they even allow us to seat on their soft cushions.

If only… we didn't garner the stares of a few who walked by and observed us. They just stared as I waited patiently for my number to be called.

"We're almost next, Keima-kun~" Kanon's enthusiasm isn't rubbing off on me anytime soon. But her smile made me sigh at her cheerfulness.

Try as I might, I couldn't ignore the girl who seats beside me. She wore the same clothes that Okada gave when we got here. I was also wearing the clothes she gave me as well but I decided to keep my hood up and try to hide my face. I dread to think of what might happen when someone recognizes her.

I kept my PFP away for the time being. I felt that things will get annoying when the time arrives and I need my games to distract myself.

"Next," Someone called as I looked up, it was my turn. I got up and Kanon followed.

As I make my way towards the desk, I notice that some of them gave us soft smiles. I knew that knowing look anywhere, it was the same one my mother gave me when she asked to bring a friend home.

I ignored them as I went to the front desk. In front of me is a young girl in her early twenties. She wore the same business suit as the other bankers. On her desk were a few papers and a mug that read "#1 Best Sis!" in bold letters.

"I want to cash in this check please." I asked as I handed her my number and the check. It didn't take long for her to process the check and handed me the money… and boy was it a lot.

"A hundred and fifty thousand yen, sir. Thank you for using our services," She said with a smile as I look at the freshly printed bills.

So this is what it feels like to receive pay? Even though this is only a one time gig, I felt extremely happy.

"Hmm," Kanon hummed while staring at me. "This is strange, Keima-kun"

We were already outside the bank when she said that. "Hmm?"

"If I remember correctly, Okada-san normally pays out around a hundred thousand yen to the staff we hired for the concert. Of course, those who worked with me longer are paid more but this was the first time I saw her give anyone more than necessary." I froze at that for a moment. The bonus was too good to be true. She really wants me to spend my time with the idol. I can feel a vein pulse at the side of my head just thinking of how annoying this is.

I put the money away as I turned to the idol.

"Kanon-chan, she wants us to enjoy ourselves while I buy my games here." I said hiding my annoyance. Kanon looked shocked and at the same time embarrassed. I continued. "So, what do you want to do?"

I turned away slightly to hide the fluster that built on my face. I haven't heard a single word from the idol but it wasn't necessary. I heard her footsteps come close before I felt small hands grab and wrap onto my arm. I turned to her and we stood there for a moment. Her face was blushing but a smile has formed on her lips. I was confused and at the same time… violated. I hated when someone touches me. Then I felt something soft touch me from the arm which Kanon has currently taken in her custody.

"Let's go then!" She declared a bit excitedly but still held the professionalism of an idol. I merely sighted as her chest came closer to my arm, almost making me pale for the longest time.

Without any further delay, the two of us head to the nearest game shop…

..

Surprisingly, I found some games with ridiculous prices. Some were 70% off while others had a two for the price of one sale. Truly making this pilgrimage to the Holy Land was worth it… if only the other customers would just stop glaring at me every five seconds.

" _Damn Normal Fags…_ "

" _Die in a ditch…_ "

" _Explode you Raijin!_ "

I sighed to myself, despite my protest Kanon joined me in browsing the shop for games. I was in cloud nine when I saw all the possible games I was going to play but it was outright ruined by the glares I received.

In the end, I ended up taking twenty games which I added into my pile. I had around fifty games as I strolled my way to the cashier. That's when I noticed something odd.

"Yo~ Shopkeep, are there any interesting games out today?" A man wearing a university jacket and outstanding red hair asked the cashier who merely smiled at the man's informality.

"Kagami! Good timing, I just got a fresh batch of games in stock. I heard this shooting game that came out recently is doing well! I even had great reviews from some of my customers!" The cashier said as he held out a game. On it were a few kids in plain shirts wielding… water guns? And they are engaging squids swimming through colorful ink?

"Oh! I've heard of this! I'm dying to try it out!" The red head yelled as he grabbed the game and examined it. I made my way towards the cashier… despite appearing rude to the red head.

"I'll be purchasing these," I laid down my basket on the counter as the cashier sorts through them.

"Hmm…" Hummed the guy next to me as he leaned forward. "Interesting choice of games,"

"Excuse me?" I asked, the way he said it sounded predatory.

He looked up at me and smiled, "The games that you picked are all galge. About more than half of them are famous for trolling gamer's experience."

He had an amused smile as he said that. I guess I wasn't the only victim of these kinds of games. However, despite the trouble the games will bring, I merely scoffed.

"If there is a girl who needs to be captured… then I will play this game even if it is full of bugs." I turned to the cashier who frowned upon a certain game he was holding.

"Are you sure you want this one dude?" He asked as I knew that the game was notorious, it was from the same company that now sponsor some of Kanon's events, a game created by KRAYON.

I remembered that during their run as a gaming company, they released ten games. Four of which were playable while the others were littered with bugs. Of the six games they made patches on, only four were redeemed of their infamy.

However, the last two games were treated as though it became a lost cause. One is a game I played when the idol first made contact with me, I managed to complete that game. The other… is infamous for not allowing to save but also is littered with bugs…

"This reminds me of a rumor I heard on the internet," The red head said beside me. "Apparently, there is this one guy who reached the conclusion of this game which was infamous for having a multiple loops on player choices."

The cashier looked amused by that story and something clicked, "I remember that, some of my customers told me that they go to him seeking his words of wisdom and advice on some games. I believe they call him… the Capturing God."

"Yeah, he is the one. I went to his site once, Fallen God. It was a basic white format site but inside had a catalogue of multiple galges he completed in the past century. He recently posted how he got through the game and even showed the ending at his website. I checked, it was completely legit and an old staff of the company who made it personally thanked the owner of the site for reaching the ending." The man beside me looked very excited, like he met someone who completely amazes him.

"Is he really that well-known?" I asked curiously despite knowing that I own the small site.

"In the gaming community, he is considered a God among Otakus." The red head had a cheeky grin as he said that.

"Yeah, it's thanks to this Capturing God that business has been striving. He apparently released a lot of walkthroughs during the past few weeks that caught the attention of a company that neared bankruptcy. I heard that they used some of his walkthroughs as a sort of guideline in improving their games. From then on, they've released one successful game to the next. Other companies are apparently also taking advantage of the website to improve or correct their own flaws." Despite being a cashier, the guy in front of me has an impressive amount of information about the gaming industry.

"I see…" So that would explain why a _certain_ company has been sending me free games through my e-mail. I never knew that it was thanks for saving them…

While the cashier was still working on my purchases I turned to Kanon who… was busy browsing through the dark side.

" _What the heck is she doing?_ " I asked myself as I went to her. Kanon held a game in one hand and was looking through the contents. I grabbed her hand before she decided to buy the game.

"Come on, Kanon-chan. We're about to leave." I told her as I… geez this will be annoying, took her hand and brought her with me to the cashier.

The red head whistled which made me annoyed. The cashier look on with a smile.

"Here's your things, thanks for buying at our shop." He said with a bow.

"Hey you two," The guy next to us called. "Are you going anywhere after this?"

I wasn't planning to answer him but Kanon decided to tell him.

"We are going out to have lunch, but we are new here so-"

The red head immediately cut her off.

"Really? That's good! Mind if I take you two to a place I know?" He said as I noticed he was beaming with happiness… like he found someone who wanted to join his party.

"Sure!" Again, Kanon answered for us without me having a say in any of this.

"Great!" He cheered as he turned to the cashier. "I'll be taking this!"

"Sure, I'll send it through your sister like always." He said as he took the game from the red head and put it away.

The three of us got outside, on one hand was a bag of games I plan to play once I return home and on the other is… Kanon's. She was practically enjoying my misery.

"My name is Kagami, Junichirou. I'm a teacher at a certain prestigious Academy. What are your names?" He introduced himself, Kanon releases me for a while as she reaches her hand out.

"I'm Kanon," That confused me for a bit, didn't she want to hide her status as an idol?

"Yeah, I already know you Miss Idol." Kagami grinned which surprised me. "The beret and sunglasses won't fool me. Nice concert last night by the way."

Once again, I was a bit shocked. Kagami just brushed off the fact that he was talking to an idol.

"You are surprisingly calm in meeting me, Kagami-kun." She said with a bit of a pout. I hid a small smile at that, she was acting like a child.

"You aren't the first idol I met, in fact, I've met three already." He said with a confident smile. For some reason, I believe this guy.

"Anyways, I'll bring you to this café I know! If I bring any new customers I get a coupon for free fries!" He said happily as he started walking.

"Fries? You invited us just so you can have free fries?" I asked reluctant at the older male's attitude.

"Yup!"

For some reason, I smiled at this honesty. Kanon giggled at his response as Kagami continued to give a positive smile. The three of us went ahead and walk to the café that he was talking about…

..

Okay, I was expecting it once we entered Akihabara but seriously? This guy leads us into a Maid Café? I wanted to avoid places like these as much as possible!

"Having fun…? Oh yeah, I still haven't gotten your name?" He said a bit confused. I sighed as I introduced myself.

"I am Katsuragi, Keima. I'm the idol's helper during the concert last night and I am currently a student at Maijima High School."

Upon hearing that I study at Maijima, Kagami's eyes widened.

"Really? I know a guy there who I owed a favor to!" He said with surprise as he brought out his PFP.

"Is this guy someone I know?" I asked even though I knew I probably didn't even talk to the guy he was talking about.

"Probably not," He answered honestly as he was staring at his console. "This guy likes to keep himself hidden. Doesn't like to be in the spotlight for some reason."

"So, he is the exact opposite of a protagonist then?" I said jokingly but Kagami frowned and shook his head.

"No, this guy is different. I was suspicious at first when he answered my call for help when I wanted to program a certain app which allows students to know the answer to their test exams." What? Isn't he a teacher?

"Really? Must be an awesome guy," I pointed out as I drank from my water.

"Actually, the guy who helped me with the program was a University Student studying I.T. who also owed the guy a favor. Apparently, he has a lot of connections." I raised an eyebrow, Kagami took that as a sign that he has my attention.

"So I searched him up but nothing came." He said as he picked up a few fries and brought it to his mouth. "So I decided to dig _deeper._ "

"And? Did you find anything?" I asked a bit curious.

"No… but I stumbled upon an article on your school's newspaper and underground website." We had an underground website?

"Yeah, apparently, this wasn't the first time he was asked for any favors. The students at your school talk about him… a lot. But the rumors about him have only sprung out… recently." Kagami said as he chewed on his fries. I decided to have a taste of these fries he loves so much… and found myself disappointed that they taste exactly the same like in any fast food chains.

"How recently are we talking about?" I asked as I absentmindedly chewed on the fries we shared.

"A year… rumors about him only sprung out only last year… during the late August." August? Last year? Why does that date sound so familiar?

"I think… that was during the time I was in trouble. If I remember correctly, I was brought to the principal's office due to my gaming habits." I told him as I remembered meeting a certain boy during that time. Though his face is slightly obscured from my memory.

"Really? What made them send you there? You a repeat offender?" He asked with an eyebrow raised. I sighed as I told him a bit about what happened.

"I played my games during class. The teachers were annoyed that I was gaming during their lessons and had me sent to the principal's office and called my mother. Things were heated between the teachers who complained about my habits and my mother." This part was a bit blurry but I can still remember how he helped me.

"Then a boy came in, he looked surprised when he went inside. The teachers were silent immediately but I mother was still steaming. The principal welcomed him inside nonetheless."

"Sounds like the guy came in at an awful time."

"Yeah, but he got curios and asked what was going on. The principal told him everything. The boy took in the information as if he can solve all of our problems. Then out of the blue, he asked me if I can keep up with my studies so that they can allow me to continue to play my games. I told them that the classes were boring and that the material for the lessons were easy to understand. The principal laughed and so did the guy who came in."

"Sounds like an interesting guy, I'd like to meet him when I get the chance!" Kagami laughed.

"Anyways, the principal surprisingly allowed me to continue with my habits as long as I have a 90% grade during test. Needless to say, I aced every test they throw at me." Though there are still times they tried to make it more difficult for me by I won't tell him that.

"Sounds like the life you lead is interesting." He said grinning. "I like your style! I'd love to have you as one of my students!"

The fact that he said it with such pride caused me to smile at him. Not a lot of people like me, in fact, most of them treat me like thrash. I didn't mind really, the real was something I try to ignore completely. But, to find someone in the real who treats me like this… it's a good feeling.

"By the way, where's your girlfriend? She hasn't come back in a while." Though I would have told him that she wasn't my girlfriend, curiosity got the better of me as I also wondered where the idol went.

"Ano… Keima-kun, do… do you want me to cast magic on your fries?" Was that her? I turned slightly to my right… and found Kanon wearing a frilly Main outfit.

"Kanon… what are you doing?" I asked at a loss for words.

"I don't know myself…" She said meekly with embarrassment. Then a loli came out from behind her.

"Do you like it? When I stumbled upon her I wanted to have her wear one of our uniforms! I won't charge for the food if you allow her to work here for a while!" She said with a delighted smile on her face.

I turned to Kagami who only laughed at the ridiculous scene in front of him. He was clutching his sides as he tried to talk.

"Bwahaahahaa! She-She isn't who you think she is! She is the idol, Kanon-chan!" Kagami revealed clutching his sides. The loli was surprised to find out that she forced the idol into one of their uniforms.

"I'm so sorry!" Needless to say, this caused a mess. But Kanon merely shook her head.

Things calmed down after a few seconds. The manager, which is the loli who gave the uniform to her told us that everything was on the house for today. Of course, Kagami ordered more fries as I asked for an omelet rice.

Kanon was the one who delivered our order which made my brow twitch.

"Kanon… what are you doing?" I asked again. Kanon looked embarrassed as she slightly scratched her cheek.

"Well, I always wanted to try out being a maid so… I decided to work for a bit here. Do you mind, Keima-kun?" I gave a long sigh. I am slightly regretting the fact that I allowed this to happen. I told her to do as she liked. The idol smiled and cast her… _magic_ on our meals.

"Thanks, Kanon-chan!" Kagami said with a smile as he ate his fries. "Man! These taste better now that you casted magic!"

I rolled my eyes as I willed myself not to groan. I thanked Kanon as well and began to eat my food.

"It's good, you did well Kanon-chan." I absentmindedly said. It took me a few seconds to finally notice what I said and froze. "Wait! I didn't mean anything by-"

It was too late, the idol's face turned redder than a tomato. This time I let myself groan as she immediately excused herself to attend to the other customers.

"Man, the two of you really love each other. Even I am getting jealous." He said mischievously as I groaned once again.

"You do know that she is not my girlfriend, right?" I said as I continued to eat my meal.

"Yeah, but seeing you like this is very interesting. I can basically tell that you aren't used to talking to girls." I scoffed at that.

"Nonsense! I can talk to girls just fine!" I declared.

"I meant real girls, Otakumegane." I slightly twitched at that. "Oh, is that the nickname they gave you at school? Heh, interesting."

I decided to ignore Kagami as I try to finish my meal. After a while, Kanon returned wearing her original outfit and bought her own food. We decided to wait and chat for a bit.

It turns out that Kagami is a teacher at Ichou Academy. He is on break at the moment after demolishing the need to study for school exams.

He was an interesting fellow who helped a few unique students in and outside his school. He said it was because most of the people he found were interesting.

I told him that at the rate he was going, his students will graduate having done what they truly wanted. I asked him if he was looking forward to their growth once they leave.

Surprisingly, Kagami didn't say anything but he smiled nonetheless.

"I don't have the resolve to see it all the way through,"

That left an impression on me. Kanon looked confused but concerned.

"Is there a reason?" I asked despite not wanting to continue this conversation.

"Not really, I just like to do what I want. I am a man who has YD anyway," He said with a look that said this wasn't the first time he was asked such a question.

"Anyways, do you two want to exchange e-mail addresses?" He asked as he brought out his phone. "If the two of you end up visiting Akihabara again, I'll show you guys around."

I contemplated a bit on what to do in this situation. For one thing, exchanging addresses isn't something I am used to. While it was tempting to decline his offer I accepted in the end.

"Sure," I said frankly. "Though I doubt I'll ever visit again."

Kagami nodded and the two of us exchanged number. He then turned to the idol who merely smiled.

"Sure, I'll also give you mine."

After we had our lunch the three of us headed out. Kagami excused himself, as he had other things to do. Kanon and I bid him farewell as he went opposite of us. I turned to Kanon, having figured that there isn't much left for us to do, and asked her if she wanted to go somewhere.

"Hmm..." She hummed as she looks around. "How about we tour the place? It's not every day that I get the time to enjoy myself fully."

I was about to retort that she can do those things if she wanted... but remembered that Kanon is an idol whose schedule is consumed by work. Something inside me stirred and it wasn't a good feeling. I sighed, I never wanted to do this. Guess I can humor the real for the day, it's not like the two of us will see each other after this.

"Alright," I told her as stood beside her. "Lead the way,"

For some reason, the idol blushed. I never understood why she would constantly feel embarrass around me but I never asked. I still feel my body ache every time I am reminded of what the idol is truly capable of doing.

Kanon grabbed my arm, this time I protested but this only made her grip on me tighten. I sighed, I never really understand the real but I certainly know that they are unreasonable.

 _Kanon's POV..._

Finally! Keima finally asked me to go play with me! I am the happiest girl alive!

I took Keima away to fun places that I haven't tried before. I decided to head to the arcade. It wasn't crowded and it held many games, the perfect place to pass the time and within Keima's field of expertise. I asked Keima what he wanted to play a game with me. He was slightly annoyed, like always, but accepted my invitation.

"Think the two of us can handle zombies?" I asked as I held a model gun on my hand.

"If it makes you happy, we can shoot some undead till we die," Keima had a look of interest as he held the gun.

"All right! Let's go!" I declared as the two of us entered the game.

The two of us were inside a car, we were heading to a nearby church when a monster appeared in front of our car. It wasn't friendly.

"Keima," I called as I raised my gun. Zombies appeared on screen and the two of us took out the two coming at us. We both reloaded after emptying our mags.

"We're heading inside," Keima said as we turned to the front door. We got inside where more zombies engaged us.

It didn't take long for the two of us to meet with one of our partners.

"Here, take this." He handed us a book as the glass door next to us shattered revealing more. I took aim and shot down the zombie to the left, Keima tried to shoot the one to the right but the axes blocked most of his shots.

"Crap!" He cursed as he ran out of bullets. I turned and shot as the zombie was about to bring down his axe on him.

"I got you, Keima." I said as we continued.

We ran into some civilians along the way and helped them. Keima managed to acquire a health kit and some trinkets along the way.

We reached the end of the street when we encountered the monster we met at the car.

We stood there as it monologue until a giant armored headless knight came crashing into the scene wielding a huge axe.

I started shooting the massive behemoth as Keima tried to hit the demon bat who flew at amazing speeds.

"There!" Keima yelled as he shot the demon when it stood still. I took this chance and poured more led on the armor.

We continued to shoot the thing, I getting lucky hits when the bat flew in front of the armored body, until it fell down. The bat demon then started to attack us but Keima manages to predict where the demon will go and shoot it until it died.

The scene ended and credited us for saving a lot of civilians.

Keima and I decided to go ahead of our companions when we suddenly hear a car's tires screeching behind us. We turned and found the car with a zombie on its front. The two of us shot it down easy and we went ahead. Keima told me that he would shoot some of the bonuses on the game while I take care of the zombies.

We got to a point where Keima decided to shoot the key. My character picked it up and opened the steel gate. Inside was a zombie throwing a barrel at us and a kid and his dad. We then see news of a monster. We went ahead and continued our way out of the house.

More civilians appeared and I shot a hidden health pack up ahead. We saved a few more civilians before ending up with the boss.

Keima and I began pouring led at the things chest which kept opening and closing. That's when it decided to jump down on the water.

"Keima, keep these fish off us!" I instructed him as Keima merely reloaded and aimed the gun on the screen. I shoot at the monsters chest many times until it died.

The two of us went like this with little casualties. Keima seemed bored as we continued to shoot more undead, I was actually impressed with his accuracy to shoot the items and health kits in game.

"I am... The Emperor!" Somehow we got to the final boss.

"Really classy last boss," Keima sarcastically said.

"He has no weaknesses," I pointed out.

The two of us begin shooting him. The orbs actually hit the two of us but Keima manages to land some hits on the orb on the monster's chest.

"Tch! Hey, let me handle damaging him! Just get these orbs off us!" He yelled as I nodded. I went ahead and shot the balls the monster throws at us while Keima hits him on the chest. The monster also changed his tactic and lunges at us with a makeshift spear. Keima manages to land a few hits before we lost another health point.

When we managed to damage him to half health he suddenly summons the visage of other bosses. The first one took us by surprise and we took damage. Keima became annoyed and began shooting at the ghost of the pass bosses.

"We did it! Let's waste lead on this thing!" I declared as the two of us began shooting like crazy until the boss was defeated.

Keima and I smiled as I raised my hand for a high five, Keima reluctantly raised his own before he made contact with mine.

"What should we leave?" I asked as we reached to the score bored.

"KXK" Keima said as he shot the words and entered it.

"Why those letters?"

"Because the two 'Ks' stand for our first names. The 'X' in the middle is to indicate and," I smiled. I am having a great time in this date with Keima.

"Thanks," I said as we looked for more games to play.

"No problem,"

The rest of the afternoon passed by with the two of us playing around. Keima actually gave me a turtle toy plushie which is one of my favorites. I asked Keima how he knew and he told me that he overheard it from some of the staff. I smiled and led Keima out of the gaming arcade. I was smiling the whole way as the two of us head back to the hotel.

"Did the two of you enjoy yourselves?" We were greeted by my manager who was watching the news on the television. I told her I had a great time while Keima went to his room.

"I'm gonna play my games, call me when it is time for us to leave." He said as he closed the door.

I pouted a little, I wanted to spend more time with him. Can't he stop playing for a day and just enjoy his time with me? Well, I guess this is the best that I can get out of Keima. He always has his games with him so going out with him and having fun without his portable for once is actually quite nice. Also, his hands were... it felt nice. I always enjoyed the feeling of being close to Keima, unlike the rest of the boys that I know. Truthfully, there were times that he made me mad and I just want to _shock_ him but... during the times when I was down he suddenly became this... reliable and kind guy I never saw in him before.

I don't know why he is always playing his games, I asked him about it once and he told me he was playing since his hands first held on the controller. He looked overjoyed when he finally reaches the ending in his games and at times I also saw him cry when the story actually touched his heart. I also cried with him that one time when I asked if I can listen to the game with him.

Now that I think about it, why did I ask for such a thing back then? I knew he was uncomfortable around me... or anyone for that matter but he always responded professionally with the staff or the manager. With me, he just shrugs and gives in or gives me a look of annoyance before giving up. Keima knew that I wouldn't just give up when I wanted to get close to him. Or did he?

"Hey, Okada-san, what do you think Keima-kun thinks about our little fun?" I asked not really looking at her direction. I stared at the carpet, listening to the sound the television was making.

"I am not him, you know." She answered as I sighed. "But I think he enjoyed it, for what it was worth."

I smiled a little, I hoped that Keima enjoyed himself on our little date.

"The question is, did you enjoy his company?"

I froze for a bit. Keima was always there but I never really figured out these feelings I have whenever I am with him.

"I did." I answered. The time I spent with him was nice, a change of pace from my usual life as an idol.

"Do you like him?"

I blushed at that. Okada smiled as she saw me reaction and turned to the television. "You didn't have the chance to enjoy yourself since you began your career. Katsuragi isn't a bad boy and I always notice how the two of you are so close."

I didn't think my head would get any redder than it is now.

"If you like him... why don't you confess?"

Confess...?

"I don't know, I don't think Keima-kun sees me in that way."

"Are you sure?"

"He only has eyes on his games."

"True but that didn't stop you to get close to him."

"..."

"When did you start liking him, Kanon-chan?"

That's a good question. I never really noticed how my feelings changed for him. It just came out of nowhere and I suddenly felt this rush of excitement and joy. Keima's words reached me, I felt him truly care about me. He helped me with my troubles and listened to me when I am stressed. But what made me attracted to him?

"I don't know," I answered honestly.

"I see." Okada turned to her watch. "Well, you have until we return to Maijima, try and think about your feelings for him until then, okay?"

I nodded absentmindedly. I need to think about this deeply before I come up with my final answer.

 _Third Person POV..._

" _I don't understand, why does the idol spend her time with me?_ " Keima played one of the games he bought today. He didn't want to stress himself and played leisurely while thinking.

" _It's not like the idol likes me; if anything, she only wants me to become her fan._ " Keima admitted that her songs made him calm, relaxed, and somewhat rejuvenated. He usually feels nothing, even for the songs of his games, though there are times that the music blended so well that he lost himself in the world he was playing in.

" _Kanon's songs, they take all the stress and fatigued I've culminated during restless nights. Her voice just leaves me in this sort of trance... as if an Angel was guiding me and healing my worn body._ " Keima was playing one of her songs while playing. He felt relieved, his body relaxed to the tune of the music. The irony behind his actions is that her songs were intended to bring joy and excitement.

" _I've never felt like this towards anyone, though I have no one else to compare her to other than mother... speaking of which, should I invite her over?_ " He had forgotten what led him to such a promise but the fear he felt was still present subconsciously.

Keima wondered through his thoughts until he came back to the night of the concert. The fans enjoyed themselves; her song and dance thrilled the crowd and the critics praised her success.

" _She was stunning,_ " Keima hated to admit it that night, " _Kanon, she shined on stage. Though, there was this feeling that just... feels wrong...? What was it, I wonder?_ "

Keima progressed through the game with ease. The girl she was conquering had the same types as a hundred others. Although, the premise of the story was unique.

Keima saved his game and turned to his watch, it was already four in the afternoon. He shrugged and got up from his bed, hair a bit of a mess due to lying down for about an hour. He went for the door where the idol and her manager waited.

Okada was the first person to notice him, she gave a wave and smile which he returned with a nod. "Katsuragi-kun, we are almost ready to leave. Did you enjoy yourself before we head to the airport?"

Keima nodded again, this time he held up his console for confirmation. "It isn't a problem if I played some music while we wait right? How long before we land?"

"Around six, it will be sunset by then. I have other plans once we land though so..." Okada turned to Kanon. "You can go ahead and go home early, Kanon-chan."

Kanon didn't show it but her shoulders dropped a little, Keima was the only who noticed but didn't voice it out.

"Sure, thanks for taking care of me Okada-san."

"Katsuragi-kun," Okada called to the young teen gamer. "Can you send Kanon-chan home?"

"Absolutely no way!"

Keima's answer was immediate. He knew from experience what it meant to be close to a star this late at night. He still had trouble with the runner's troublesome fans. But, they are nothing compared to the thousands that the idol has in her fandom.

"Okada-san!" Kanon blushed, she wasn't a little girl anymore and she didn't need someone to take her home.

"What?" Okada asked as if there wasn't a problem with what she said. "I'm going to use the car to head back to the office. I won't be taking you home, Kanon-chan."

It suddenly hit Keima that she was planning this day all along. A complete date, with escort, games, and everything down to taking the girl home. It was a classic trick that even Keima was aware of the absurdity behind it.

"..." Keima gave a sigh. If he leaves the idol alone, then someone will follow her and cause trouble. But if he sends her home... then the paparazzi will have a field day. Either option wasn't going to go well on his boat.

"I... don't mind..." He said in barely a whisper. Okada heard it but Kanon didn't, to busy being embarrass to notice his compliance.

"You heard that Kanon-chan?" Okada stated as Kanon looked confused. "Katsuragi-kun just offered himself to send you home, aren't you lucky?"

Keima turned away but knew that Kanon was staring intently on his back. Okada knew that the gamer was blushing but she decided not to tease the boy.

The three headed down the hotel and went for the airport. It was around quarter to five when they arrived. Keima waited for their tickets to arrive while Kanon stayed with him. Okada was buying them first class seats home as she didn't want the idol to seat with anyone on the plane who might be one of her fans.

"Did you have a great time?" Keima asked absentmindedly. Kanon flushed a little and glued her eyes on the floor.

"It was fun," She admitted. Kanon never thought that she would experience such things during her concert but she was grateful that Keima was there with her.

"After this... what do you plan to do?" Kanon noticed that Keima was trying to make small talk, even though the boy was also listening to music while seating there beside her.

"The usual I think. I mean, there won't be time for the two of us to meet outside of work so..." She trailed off. She didn't know how to say this without turning into a deeper shade of red than she is now.

"I'll be there," He said. Kanon looked confused, Keima took this as a sign to continue. "I like your songs. I'll be there on your concerts watching."

Keima didn't know it at the time but Kanon, during that exact moment, was the happiest she has ever been. Kanon felt great joy wash over her body before making a jump for Keima. Keima's eyes dilated before Kanon made impact. He groaned as the idol squeezed him tightly around her arms. One thought came out of Keima that day, " _I hate you real..._ "

While Keima was busy trying to pry the idol off of him Kanon noticed his console dangling on his wrist. A list of her songs flash before her eyes in neon blue. Kanon looked up with sparkles on her eyes and Keima grimaced and silently cursed to himself for allowing this to happen.

"Ne~ Keima-kun, are my songs good?" She pried as she nestled onto his chest. Keima never thought he would be a shade of purple that day, both disgusted and embarrassed at the same time was... a strange experience.

"..." Keima decided to just nod and avoid saying anything in general.

"Praise me! Praise me!" She said like a child. The strange feeling disappeared and was now dominated by embarrassment. Keima raised his hand, Kanon let go and positioned herself like so. Keima started to pat her head, like anyone would with a small child.

Anyone who saw the scene thought it was cute. Some even thought they were a lovely couple. The truth is a lot farther than they think.

"Hey, we're leaving. Katsuragi-kun, do you mind sitting next to Kanon-chan?" She asked as she held three first class tickets.

Keima puffed out smoke in his ears before removing his hand from Kanon's head. Kanon didn't mind as she walked closer to him and whispered into his ear, "Thank you, Keima-kun."

Keima froze while Kanon giggled and walked away. Okada merely sighted at how the two were acting. Despite Keima's paralyzed state, Okada somehow manages to goad him inside the plane in a span of five minutes. Five minutes that Keima swore flew by without his knowledge.

The ride home was a silent one, save for the music Keima's PFP was playing. He was wearing headphones while his console was on his right pocket. To his left was Kanon, who was barely awake and leaning on his shoulder. To his right is a window showing the clouds. The seat next to Kanon was Okada, who chose to rest for the entire flight.

It was a strange experience for Keima. He never thought that things will end up like this. A concert to Tokyo and a date at Akihabara. He didn't know what to feel, the pay satisfied him enough to afford more games if he wanted. But the girl leaning on her shoulder brought out foreign feelings he was trying to ignore. Keima knew that nothing good would come out of dating the idol. Society wasn't very positive if they found out that the idol was dating a disgusting otaku like him. He wasn't worthy of such a pleasure and knew that even if fate allowed it, Keima would keep his distance.

The walk home was a different experience, however, as it was still cold out. The once bright sky was now a shade of darker with the busy lights of Maijima soaring through the skies. It wasn't as blinding as it was on Tokyo but Keima couldn't help but compare the two cities. He was glad that his home was a lot tamer than the capital.

Kanon was wearing a scarf around her neck, it was hiding the smile she had under the fabric. Keima was too busy with his task to send Kanon home that he didn't notice her hand holding on to his own. Kanon silently walked home with Keima to her hotel. Her parents weren't home as she was living by herself but it was still her home. The two walked closely to each other, the brisk night air surrounding them. Keima was running out of power for his console but he didn't mind. He was going back home where his prized gaming room awaits. Kanon had no one waiting for her but her pet turtle. At least the plush toy that Keima won will give the idol company.

"We're here," Keima declared as he stood in front of a large building that was Kanon's home.

"Thank you, Keima-kun." She said as she stepped forward and smiled at Keima. Keima nodded and turned to leave. "Wait!"

Keima turned to ask the idol what she wanted but froze in shock. In front of him was the pink hair of the idol and the scent of lavender perfume. For a faint moment, Keima felt something touch his cheek before the idol moved away.

"See you at school!" She yelled as she turned around and went inside.

Keima just stood there in shock and awe, his only thought was, " _Is this the ending that she wanted?_ "

To be continued...

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Happy New Year! Thank god I finally managed to finish this chapter! It was hard! Very Hard!**

 **Well, I pretty much jinxed myself when I declared to the internet that my old computer was busted and now the same happened with the laptop I am borrowing. This was also the same circumstances that happened to my old computer too!**

 **And now the answer you all have been waiting for: Yes. The next girl to premier after the idol arc is Shiori Shiomiya! Congrats to roger9481 for being the first to figure it out!**

 **I would also like to thank xellos540 and DPSS for their reviews. The former also guessed it right while the later had about 40% of my future ideas right! You can go ahead and check their reviews on the review section after this.**

 **Anyways, there is nothing else left to say other than… welcome back! Chief93 is finally back! I was crying tears of joy when I saw him update his story and basically referred to me for the continued story! Thank you Chief93!**

 **Okay, the next chapter is the last chapter of the Kanon Arc. Her story has brought great joy, and pain(Keima), to all of you(not Keima). Everything will come to an end and if you guys were wondering if this chapter suspiciously seems to good of a chapter to end up as the ending for the arc… well, for one you are wrong and right at the same time.**

 **This chapter was harder to make and it proved a challenge whether I should just end the whole arc here but I remembered my goal for this story. The story is made to follow the girl's POV and experience. It also fills the void of some of the rushed conquest that Keima made with some of the girls. It is also important to note, some of the girls will naturally have a longer story than others. They are also given significant roles once I make a few more girls join in.**

 **It is also now officially decided that I will update my story once a month. Also, don't expect a chapter to come next month. I have school to worry about and she is a harsh mistress. I'll continue the story around March or if I get lucky I will update by the end of February.**

 **To end this long rant that I have going, I would like to thank everyone who fav and followed my story! It means a lot, and I mean it when I say a _lot,_ to me that all of you love this story. I won't ask for reviews this time but I will answer some questions you may have. Also, I plan to leave a few cameos on the potential girls next chapter so tell me on who you want to be mentioned in the story!**

 **Well, see ya~!**


	4. The World an Idol Only Knows: Final Flag

**The World an Idol Only Knows**

 **Final Flag: Our Shared Love Song**

 **Disclaimer: This is a fan-base story. All scenes are a work of fiction and are no means based on real events or people, which is likewise pure coincidence. The World God Only Knows is owned by Wakaki Tamiki, please support the official release.**

* * *

It was a few days after Keima had volunteered to take Kanon home. Things went back to how it should be for the young gamer. The days when the idol who was relentlessly inviting him to her concerts had ended. From the outside nothing really changed, but inwardly Keima felt frustrated with himself.

" _Why does it feel like we left it on that note?_ " Keima begrudgingly asked himself. " _It felt like it was finally over but why do I feel this sense of dissatisfaction?_ "

Keima continued to play his games after that one-time concert deal. He had enough to last him a few more days without buying more games for a while. It was strange that a few of the games he bought were quickly dealt with.

He posted his accomplishment on his usual site and has garnered more views and followers. There were also some pleas from his lost lambs which he quickly answered or left on a separate file to read later. Most of them were request about games in general.

In the _God of Conquest's_ opinion, he didn't really care about the gaming features that much. Sure, there were times that the songs would catch his interest. How some unique game mechanics on some games both intrigue and annoy him. But through the end, catching the heroine was his ultimate goal. How he would accomplish their perfect happy ending was his to play out.

Like usual, Keima woke up to the sound of his alarm clock ringing. He rubbed his eyes and took his glasses from a nearby counter. He did his usual routine: get dressed, go downstairs to eat and leave for school all while playing games.

On the way to school, Keima received a harsh punishment from Ayumi for no apparent reason.

..

When the boy finally regained consciousness, Keima found himself lying on a bed. Keima felt this strange familiarity in the room and soon found the reason for his concerns.

"Morning, Gamer-kun~" It was one of the school's _many_ infirmaries. It didn't help that it was also the room of the same nurse whom he made contact.

Keima let out a groan but his annoyance didn't last long. He finally remembered what happened earlier that morning. He asked -demanded- the reason behind the unexpected assault.

"She, and I am quoting her here, 'felt like it'." The nurse answered with _air quotes_ to make her point. Once the other teachers heard that, they let it slide. Keima wasn't surprised really, he knew long ago about the school's bias towards him. Now that he thought about it, being acquainted with the faculty's bias doesn't sound all that healthy.

Still, Keima was excused from his classes this morning so that he could _recover_ , a term they are using loosely in obvious annoyance of him. He checked the time by turning towards the clock, it was already pass third period. He saw no point in entering class now that it was too late.

Nurse Joy didn't mind that one of their students spends time in the infirmary. It was practically a regular occurrence to her at this point. Still, with a disarming smile, she asked how his week went with the young idol.

"How did you know about that?" Keima asked a bit reluctant to answer, specifically, the events that transpired on the last day.

"I heard it from the other faculty teachers." Nurse Joy had a beaming smile on her face. Keima didn't want to know any more than that.

Keima decided to ignore the topic entirely and went ahead to play his games. He didn't plan to return to class and the nurse didn't mind. The other reason is because of the _Disciplinary Committee_ who patrol outside their classrooms from time to time.

He didn't want to deal with _any_ of them.

Nurse Joy patiently waits for Keima's answer. It was gravely unnerving him for some reason. Try as he might, he still didn't comprehend her entirely. Surprisingly, he gave up within an hour because of the nurse's silent persistence.

Keima told her _everything_ ; the road trip to Tokyo, the concert, and their last day spent together. Nurse Joy didn't utter a word during the middle of his talk, this made him more annoyed.

"What?" Keima finally asked rudely, the Nurse noticed his tone but kept smiling.

"Ah, I was wondering if Gamer-kun enjoyed his time~" That caught Keima off guard. He turned his head away not daring to look at her.

"It wasn't bad or anything really," He muttered. The nurse slightly laughed as she places a hand on his shoulder. She was grateful that Keima was supporting the idol.

"It sounds like that she enjoyed her time with you too. Maybe~" She said with a pause, Keima didn't like the direction this was going. "She is beginning to fall for you~"

The nurse was in a cheerful mood but Keima didn't share the same sentiment. This caught the young nurse's eye.

"I am afraid… she doesn't see me in that light," Keima silently confessed, it was difficult for him to say it for some reason. Still, his gaze was on his lap; a portable console continuing to play music on his hands.

"Even though the girl clearly has her eye on you?" The young nurse asked a bit confused.

"I have my reasons to believe so; what she wants from me isn't my love, it is my admiration."

"Are you sure about that?" The nurse asked, Keima looked up. A pair of brown eyes staring up at her pure bright blue ones.

"Kanon-chan doesn't love me… she needs me,"

"Elaborate," Keima caught himself from showing any sign of surprise. Instead, he raised an eyebrow. "Tell me why you think she doesn't love you?"

Keima normally wouldn't have bothered with this. But, the person who asked has proven to be a trustworthy person… sometimes.

Still, she was a lot better acquaintance than some of the people he came across in his life.

He felt, however, that acknowledging the nurse was a bitter pill to swallow and he would never admit such facts in front of her! Especially since her eccentric personality makes him wary.

Keima relents and tells her how he felt… using gaming jargon.

He, at least to himself, felt at ease when speaking to her this way; a feeling which made him think that the nurse understands why he does so. She never brought it up though… then again, she was the one who used gaming logic to help him solve Kanon's case.

To his surprise, said nurse showed an extensive amount of hidden knowledge when it came to his favourite genre of games.

The talk wasn't really long, Keima explained Kanon's attachment to him was way too good to be true. He also pointed out that he would notice, from time to time, the idol's hidden pain which she tried to share. The fact that she chose not to tell him anything hurt him unknowingly.

"Wasn't she hoping that you would have figured it out on your own?" The Nurse pointed out, showing a rare case of intuition that Keima recognizes.

Keima agreed with her on that point. It would be easy for him to figure something out. In fact, he already has some form of theory on what the idol was hiding.

Unfortunately, the only ones who can affirm if he was right were Kanon's friends. The fact that he has no way of contacting them made it impossible for him to search further.

"But," Keima said to no one in particular. "I realize that even if I were to figure it out, it would have been best to hear it coming from the idol herself."

.

.

.

.

.

Keima was puzzled by the complicated expression the nurse showed on her face. She gave a look that told him a mixture of shock and awe.

"You are far more insightful than I first realized _!_ Whatever happened to the troubled boy who came to me not too long ago?"

Keima, for the first time in his life, face palmed. He figured her eccentrics will come out sooner or later. Nurse Joy gave a giggle, an act which Keima will deny was in any way cute.

"Aww~ You are blushing~!" She teased.

"I am not! Shut up!"

Somehow, Keima felt more tired than rested. The nurse was unexpectedly hard to argue with, in ways that make him feel completely annoyed. He felt as if he was talking to an unreliable person who knows the realities of the world.

…

After their conversation passed, the two returned to what they were originally doing. Keima played his games while the nurse did paperwork. The only sounds coming from the room were the rustle of the leaves outside and Keima's console.

Occasionally, Nurse Joy would ask him if he was bored. Keima rolled his eyes at such an easy to answer question. She still teased him about how they were spending time together like a secret couple.

Thankfully, despite her upbeat attitude, Keima enjoyed his time relaxing in the comfort of his games along with the (mostly) quiet infirmary.

Nonetheless, Nurse Joy continued to make small talk with Keima. She told him about the reason why their school has so many school doctors and other staff around. Apparently, it was due to the Enforcers of their prestigious school.

Maijima Private High School is a prestigious academy with a long history. In fact, just about recently, it opened their doors for males to enter. The declining birth rate became an issue and many schools, which used to be exclusive or gender biased, swallowed their pride in order for the country to prosper again.

Unfortunately, many girls initially refused for any boy to enter their untouched Garden of Eden. So, without any other way to calm the mostly female populace, the chairman gave full authority to the _Enforcers_ , now the _modern day Disciplinary Committee_ , to take action.

By some twist of events, or _cruel fate_ , the first batch of boys who entered left an everlasting scar on their once innocent school. Since then, men who entered were officially screened, their background checked before entering the school.

They also officially announced to the public the mistake they made when evaluating students. The boys who caused the mess were expelled indefinitely while concerns for school safety have been brought up. Many were called into a meeting the next day.

Though the girls were given power, men were naturally stronger and unpredictable. In the meeting, they discussed about many things but the results were never announced. The chairman hired medical staff and built stations around the school, most of which are inside the main building. The school also handed out invitations to many prestigious families with a good background; they wanted their sons to enroll to their school.

Hence, using such an old method to recruit reliable males founded a new system; a system which allowed for the females to _exercise_ their _power_.

"…" Keima gave a look which betrayed no emotion behind his glasses. The nurse was confused at his silence and tilted her head.

"Something wrong, Gamer-kun?"

"You make it sound like the _young men_ before _me_ are _a bunch of masochist_ who willingly submitted themselves to 3D girls. _Think_ about that for a moment,"

It didn't take the nurse a minute to figure out what Keima was _hinting._ She laughed at his joke and the circumstances behind their school's history. Keima briefly smiled before silently reminding himself that the girls in their country have their life easy.

Their small world ended once the school bell rang for the whole school to hear followed by numerous feet rushing out of classrooms as if starting a marathon. One would mistake the sea of oncoming students as a herd of rhinos charging at you head on. Fortunately, students nearby got out of the way; even the _Enforcers_ fear the start of the lunch hour. To everyone else, it was _just another day_ for Maijima High, a fact which everyone mutually accepted and never bothered to change.

Keima picked up his things and put away his gaming console in his bag. He was unfazed by the many students making their way to their favorite _stall_.

"Leaving so soon big boy~" Nurse Joy audaciously teased, turning from her seat to meet Keima's back. On her hands was a single piece of candy which she took from the bowl placed at her table. She eagerly unwraps the treat with a sweet smile on her face. "I thought we were about to get into the fun part~"

Keima shook his head at the face of such teasing. Any normal man would have been easily charmed by such beauty but Keima was no such man. He knew how resilient he became the moment he set foot in the World of Games! No _3D Woman_ would make him steer so easily!

"Geez~ Lighten up will you? That frown really isn't cute at all~" The nurse said jokingly at the gamer's stoic face. Keima took note of her tone and realized that she also enjoyed their time together.

"Don't say that, even as a joke." Keima chastised half-heartedly as he turned back to the door. "We'll see each other another time,"

The nurse bid him farewell as he walked out. The ruckus outside the room seems to have disappeared and moved on. Some of them returning to class after obtaining their treats.

The lone gamer still had his bag with him. He wanted to head back to class but stopped himself. He still remembers that the _runner_ might still be mad at him for unknown reasons and instead heads to the school's roof garden to relax.

" _Hopefully, she would have cooled down once I return._ " Keima thought as the safety of the garden was a safe bet for him.

Keima cautiously headed for the roof, something inside of him told him to watch out. Unfortunately, Ayumi taught him the important lesson that the 'real' would unexpectedly spring out of nowhere without warning. And whatever came with it was usually trouble. He _learned_ that the hard way.

He walked down the hall leading towards the stairs. A few of the students walked passed or are chatting with friends at the hall without a care. Keima took note that it was usually at this time that some of them eat somewhere with good scenery.

Speaking of scenery…

There was a time when the school's famous roof-side garden became a social hotspot for students. However, the principal ultimately decided to bar them entry in fear of any _accidents_. Though as of recently, the principal became lenient and allowed entry again after… a certain amount of time. Still, they weren't allowed to enter there during certain times of the day. As it was lunch period, the doors are open for the students but closed once lunch break is over.

Safe to say, rarely any student go to the garden these days. The number of students who _do_ can be counted on one hand, Keima was one of these students. In the near future, he would meet with the rest of the dwellers who like the air and silence the place offered but that is for another time.

While Keima was making his way up; a girl, born from a prestigious family, was enthusiastically playing with her drumsticks on the floor above him. She absentmindedly played with her drumsticks along the hall while making her way down the stairs. In the hall she was in, there happened to be two boys playing catch using a baseball. The young girl, who was wearing a flower patterned Kimono, was also listening to music using her I-phone. She tucked her earphones behind her ear so she couldn't hear the two boys calling out to her, warning her of the ball making its way towards her.

Keima was turning the corner at this time to reach the floor above, he soon noticed a looming shadow covering his body. For a brief moment, Keima blinked in confusion when he suddenly felt his body automatically reaching _God Mode_ on its own. Keima, with his senses flared up to eleven, looked up and noticed that a person was about to make a dangerous landing. Try as he might, Keima couldn't make his body move away on time due to his lack of experience and stamina on _quick time events (IRL)_. Keima silently cursed his luck as he shuts his eyes accepting the inevitable.

In the small frame of time that played before him, Keima took note to find _someone_ who will help him improve his reflexes.

There was a loud thud followed by a girlish scream, of who it came from was up to debate, the girl had an unexpected gentle landing. She didn't know it was cause of Keima, who cushioned most of the impact for her. Unfortunately, she was facing the ceiling and thus did not notice him.

Fortunately for the gamer, his portable game console was safely tucked away in his bag. The bag also absorbed some of the impact he would had received in any other circumstance. Keima still has some luck in him, enough to get by the day without any more casualties really. Still, this was unfortunate for the gamer as karma usually doesn't favor teens in _any_ way.

For example; his glasses, they flew away at the moment of impact. He barely noticed this as the pain overcame his rational thinking.

For a slight lapse of time, Keima's mind became blank; his hands unconsciously wrapping around the girls waist. Finally, the two boys from earlier finally reached the scene before them. Worried, they asked if they were fine. Keima had the air blown out of him when the girl made contact with his body, so the best that he could do that at moment to reply was with a groan.

The girl, for a while now, was transfixed at the moment. She never experienced any accidents in her life until now due to her parent's upbringing. To some, it would be seen as a good thing, but to not receive any unfortunate incident even once is a learning experience. So, when she fell for the first time, her heart raced which made her flustered. She was under a trance for the pain which she expected never came.

Instead, she felt warm comforting hands wrapping around her like a soft blanket. A feeling she felt she lost long ago returned which intensified this unknown feeling in her chest. Only one thought entered her mind at that time... " _This feels... so familiar and yet so distant..._ "

Keima, on his part, felt the exact opposite. The world was spinning around him and he can feel a headache coming at any moment. When he finally focused his otherwise blurred vision, the first thought that came to him was... " _Did I save?_ "

It finally reached him that his glasses were missing, something which slightly annoys him. He then noticed a slight extra weight laying on his stomach followed by a soft feeling near his chest. For some odd reason, the sensation felt familiar to him. When he looked down, his eyes have locked with the girl on top of him.

The two boys beside them pause before the scene, before them as they lay on the floor brought out great feelings of nostalgia from the two. They were these two's Upperclassman. The two chuckled softly at such a sweet scene that they barely noticed the sound escaping their lips.

However, like in all other scenarios, this moment was not to last. No one realized the danger that they were in. A powerful bloodlust filled the air as the noises around them grew silent.

The first to notice the anomaly were the two boys. These two, believe it or not, are seniors about to graduate from this very school. So, the two have a combined six year experience of how their school works. So, the eerie silence around them was something they have gotten well acquainted with when something was _wrong._

During their time as _Freshmen Students,_ a certain _girl_ came and dominated the school with force. They learned to respect her authority with fear for a whole year. The air felt thick with oppression which felt like a collar was placed on their necks.

This was their _earned_ experience they accumulated during that single year.

The silence, however, felt like they were in the eye of a storm. There was only one time during their stay in Maijima High that this very situation happened. It was during their sophomore year when they noticed that their _notoriously noisy school_ became _silent..._ for a full minute. At that moment, everyone can hear their own hearts beating and the sound of someone breathing next to them and then it happened.

Killing intent spreading throughout the school like a wild flame followed by the heavy scent of _iron._ Experienced students knew that _familiar_ scent and when the source was discovered many medical staff have ordered for students to leave the building to contain whatever happened that day.

The feeling of _dread_ has traumatized a great number of students during their final year. Now that these two are seniors, they are fully aware of what to do in this situation.

And that was to run away.

The two silently prayed to any god who listened that the two they left behind would be fine. It was the normal reaction, no one would blame them for running away.

At the spot where the two once stood was a shadow, its gaze glowing red at the scene before it. It knew why it felt that way and it would only take it a few seconds to act out. The shadow is actually an older woman, wearing a traditional decorative black kimono with a unique pattern.

She gently lifted the girl off the floor with a disarming smile. The two notice her with a shock while the girl recognized her.

Keima regained his senses after breaking contact with the _weird_ _girl_. However, he soon felt a strong pain spread throughout his body; a foot pressed hard upon his… _family jewels_.

The woman wasn't finished, unfortunately, so she pulled the young gamer to his feet albeit the pain Keima was feeling. Keima's breaths were ragged, the sharp pain barely making it impossible to even stand. Yet, the woman did not care nor showed any mercy.

It took her five minutes to finally leave when she was done. The cold chill in the air disappeared as soon as the two figures left the stairs, one chastising the other as they left. Keima was on the floor, for the second time, merely a shadow of his former self. The pain was no longer registering on his head, his breathing and thoughts barely being audible in both mind and body. He just laid there, on the ground, moaning in pain.

Fortunately for him, he wasn't going to be alone for long. A young boy, about his age, came into the scene completely startled. He was wearing a white jersey over his red school uniform. Keima didn't know that someone was next to him because he already passed out. Naturally, when the boy _asked_ Keima if he was fine, Keima _couldn't_ reply.

Inspections were made, the boy noticed that, luckily, Keima wasn't severely injured at a glance. Nodding to himself, he kneels down to feel Keima's pulse relieved once he felt it.

The boy took his time as he unbuttons Keima's uniform to search for any bruises or cuts hidden on his body… that is, any that are visible to him.

He concluded that this wasn't an attack by any of the boys in their school. Something which slightly delighted the young man. He did notice, however, the odd placement of his hands on his crotch. It didn't take a second to put two and two together.

The boy determined that a girl, probably someone within the school, assaulted Keima. He couldn't help but notice that Keima would unconsciously curl up and hide; scared of what is happening to him while he wasn't aware.

"I understand the feeling," The boy said with a sympathizing smile. "Just walk it off, you'll be fine."

Apathetic to the circumstances that lead to the scene before him, the boy was about to pick him up when he suddenly sense killing intent behind him.

In no time, the boy turned and kicked high displacing a chop aimed for the back of his head. The person behind him stepped away from the pain he received.

"And you are... sir?" This was nothing new to him. However, before him was an old man around his late forties wearing a black suit and satin white gloves. At first glance, he looked competent. But to the old man, his hand was throbbing like crazy.

"I didn't expect a youth such as you to stop that carefully aimed hit," The man said with a tone that gave approval of the youth's strength. Said boy looked annoyed for he knew that the man before him seriously wanted to knock him out.

A familiar scent caught his attention before the young boy could engage on a fight. He recognized it from someone else who regularly visits their school. "Hold on,"

"Hmm?"

"Are you by any chance a member of a certain household's monster parent?"

"…"

He didn't answer; he didn't need to as the boy has already reached that conclusion. He returned to the subject at hand. His purpose for attacking the youth. "I am here under orders to dispose of that insect. I assume that _she_ was referring to that one behind you."

The youth did not turn to check on Keima. If he had, the old man would have taken that chance and strike. Instead, he frowned, annoyed that someone would do this in _their_ school.

"Leave old man," He warned taking a glance on the bottom stairs. "And tell them to screw off!"

The old man was unfazed but he can tell that confrontation wasn't an option. Under his better judgement, the old man backed off.

What happened at that moment was a feeling of intense pain spreading on his stomach and the air knocked out of his lungs as he flew a few paces backward. To his pride, he didn't fall to his knees immediately but was very close to doing so.

" _I was careless...!_ "

The young boy stood there, palm held firmly forward where the old man once stood. At that moment, a cold chill raced down the old man's spine. Something about that boy in white made him realize that he was in great danger.

"I am an _Enforcer_ , you know what that means right?" This caught the old man's attention. "Do not think that you can get out of this without receiving any form of retaliation."

The boy removed his outstretch hand before cracking his knuckles and adjusting his stance. The old man knew that this meant: 'Don't take this personally,'

"This is Maijima Private High School, a place where students are free from any trouble that _dares_ to enter our sacred grounds. We are the Vanguards, the school police- _The Invincible Enforcers!_ " The boy declared with raised fist.

"We fight to keep our fellow classmates from being targeted. Those who dare meet _us!_ "

"I see," The old man replied between gritted teeth. He was in an understandable predicament.

"I will let you leave," The boy said as he loosened his stance but still kept a close eye on the old man. "Do not take _us_ lightly. Pray to whoever God you believe in that we never cross paths again. And if I hear or find this boy missing then I will personally make sure to find you..."

The young boy's gaze became sharp. The old man felt a shiver crawl up his spine. In his life as a butler, he always knew the danger of taking care of the household. The years he served was a testament to his overall experience. But, this was the first time he felt endangered in the presence of a young man.

"I'll go... but this wouldn't be the last you see of me," The old man said as he fixes his tie and left.

The boy in white stood still for a short time before finally helping out Keima. He let out a sigh, the stress at the start of his rounds wasn't good for him. He fixed Keima's uniform then carried him on his shoulders and went off. Where he was headed wasn't what you would expect.

The boy was heading towards the roof garden, curiously no one came and notice him carrying the unconscious gamer. Still, the boy was not obligated to send Keima to the infirmary and instead brought the gamer with him. The boy felt that he will responsibly watch Keima until he wakes. For now. Also he had business to attend to that needed his attention.

* * *

Keima woke up with a start. It was already at the peak of noon when he noticed he was resting the second time that day on a bench. He has no idea how he got there as he remembered making his way up before his vision blurred and everything went blank. He tried to piece together what happened earlier but with no luck. Also, the pain his body felt was making it difficult to think.

At the moment, as he stood up, he noticed a pill and a water bottle beside him with small note attached. It read that it was a pain killer. Keima wasn't one to trust suspicious pills but it was better than nothing. So he took the pill and drank it down with water.

He still felt sore but this was an everyday feeling. He would mostly end up sleeping on his chair, so the feeling of discomfort is nothing new to him.

He was about to reach for his console when he noticed someone from the corner of his eye. Keima immediately turned and was surprised to see Kanon talking to someone obscurely hidden behind a few leaves and branches from his view. He did note that whoever she was talking to wants their meeting to be private as he can't hear their conversation; also, he felt that it was something he shouldn't meddle in. He sensed that trouble wasn't too far behind those leaves.

Keima turned away and was slightly glad that Kanon seemed busy to notice him right away. Still, he knew that his plans to take refuge up here was a bust. Sighing, Keima decides to leave and head back to class. At least there he can handle the _runner_ and still be able to game in peace…

.

.

.

Unfortunately for him Kanon didn't allow it.

"Hey, Keima-kun~" She greeted him with a smile. "Did you have a good rest?"

The first thing that crossed the gamer's complex mind was that the idol was wearing her school uniform. This actually caught him by surprise as he completely missed that fact when he noticed her earlier. The second thing he took note of was the fact that she watched him as he slept.

Keima didn't want to completely digest the idea that the idol was watching him sleep. He felt freaked out, angry and slightly violated at the same time. Although, through this thick fog of wavering emotions, Keima prevailed in maintaining his façade and ignored his rush of negative feelings.

The fog cleared once he gained control and the heavy feeling died down with it.

Little did he know that this experience will become useful in the coming days to come.

"Don't do that," Keima stated bluntly, clearly annoyed by the idol's presence. "You almost made my heart _jump!_ "

Keima looked away to cement his point across but it didn't reach the idol at all. In fact, Kanon was rather glad that her persistence is finally paying off. Keima would usually not say much at all and even if he did it was usually because it was his _job._ She hoped that after their tour that they would continue to grow fond of each other.

She was _glad_ that the little interactions they made brought them _closer._

Kanon's smile grew until she let out a giggle. Keima was getting used to Kanon's presence and in turn the idol felt that she was beginning to understand him a little better now.

Still, they both know that their worlds are far apart but they didn't care…

"Ne, Keima-kun," She called out as she leans forward to enjoy the cool breeze reaching her face. "I was waiting for you this morning."

Keima raised an eyebrow which goes unnoticed for has his back was facing the idol; he was fishing out his portable console.

"I wanted to greet you this morning and ask you out for lunch," Keima was listening so far as he found the console turned around and booted a game. "Imagine my surprise when I saw you get knocked down by a girl in our class?"

Kanon laughs at Keima's disdain for what happened earlier today. She also voice out how said girl seemed satisfied by her actions after she left.

"You are referring to Takahara-san, correct?" Keima didn't need to turn to know her answer. "The two of us… are slightly acquainted with each other… unfortunately,"

Keima gave a roll of his eyes at the last remark, "She probably came to me to vent her anger or something…?"

Truth be told…

Keima had no clue why she attacked him really. True, the two of them are slightly close… even if Keima hates to admit it. He gave this look that contemplated his relationship with the girl and how it formed. This didn't go unnoticed by the idol, however.

"Hoh," Kanon bit out with slight jealousy. "This is the first time I've heard you talking about _someone_ so _fondly_ ,"

Kanon puffed her cheeks cutely but Keima felt slightly offended by her remark.

"Fondly?" Keima said followed by a scoff. "How can you mistake my relationship with her like that?"

To anyone, it would seem like Keima's opinion of Ayumi was shaky at worst. In actuality, he just hated the fact that anyone would assume that they get along at all. The rumor mill in their school was a fearsome phenomenon in its own right and he knew that, if given any provocation, he would get chewed down and then spit out before word reaches the hounds that were Ayumi's fan club.

And yes, she does have a fan club. No it wasn't officially recognized. Yes, it was being funded secretly by someone powerful within the school. God forbid that Keima would ever meet the man who had his hand at the bowl that is called their underground social network.

He would know because Keima was the one who built the site originally as a bridge to communicate to other students with the same hobbies. Now it was mostly abandoned and handled by an acquaintance he met online who still runs it for other purposes. Keima was not naïve enough to return to the underbelly that involved their school.

Kanon blinked, Keima stopped moving all of a sudden as if it deep thought. She felt guilty now that Keima stopped talking causing her feelings of jealousy to vanish.

Kanon admittedly looked surprised at his reaction from earlier and decided to do the right thing...

"Sorry,"

By apologizing.

"I made a mistake. It was rude of me to assume things between you and Takahara-san. I thought that the two of you had a _thing_ going on… she was cute too…"

She trailed off.

"WE ARE NOT LIKE THAT!"

Kanon drew back slightly. Keima blinked and noticed the blunder he made as he shook his head. He felt completely embarrassed.

"The two of us are not like that…" He said a bit guiltily.

This was the first time Kanon saw Keima become angry. Something inside her found amusement in that knowledge and continued to provoke him.

"Hoh~ But she was so cute~ In fact, her body line is quite sexy. Are you sure you aren't feeling even slight elation from her?"

Keima was bombarded with the same kind of teasing not too long ago. Kanon had the look of a big sister teasing their little brother. To say that Keima was amused was an understatement.

"…" Keima didn't reply and instead focused back on his game. Though he finds the idol annoying there was no use doing anything now. Keima barely realized that this was her nature; it was difficult deciphering Kanon's parameters during the last week alone and that was when he didn't even want to find out.

"Why are you here, Kanon-chan?" He asked getting to the point.

This level of bluntness was different from his usual indifference when the two of them talked, Kanon realized. At times, he would just blurt out his thoughts without regard to what others think heading straight to the point. She knew that his tone mostly gets him in trouble in class.

But the way he was right now? It felt like Keima was finally opening up to her, even if a little. She was aware that _this_ was _Keima_ she is talking about and that _games_ are more important to him than _eating_.

One could say that Kanon performed a miracle. Someone finally caught the Capturing God's attention from his games however slight. It was an achievement that Kanon would later brag about in the future.

Keima couldn't imagine himself actually doing this with anyone else, unless said person is his mom. Sometimes it was the only choice to talk and move forward, a valuable lesson he received from the Nurse. It was another thing to enter his world…

"…"

Kanon is no fool to this side of Keima. Ever since the two met, they have become aware of each other's presence as if it was natural. Kanon gathers attention, it was no surprise as she was not only a "Social Butterfly" in their school but also a "Teen Idol". Keima? He was the exact opposite, a "Social Recluse" in isolation and alienated by his classmates and giving him the nickname of "Otakumegane". Contrary to what others may think, Keima was comfortable living his youth like this.

The fact that these two are even talking, an idea which most people would probably laugh at as something silly, act like they are friends. These two who represent the extremes of fame and infamy. One is loved by all and the other alienated but known for his habits. By the laws and norms of their "society" the two are never destined to meet or become _friends._

The fact that these two are even talking; people who are representing fame and infamy in a grand scale where the only difference is how others treat them is a social boundary that disrupts the social norm. Yet here they are ignoring such social logic; it boggles the mind that they are doing this behind everyone's back. Granted it was none of their business, fans who see these two together will give various reactions. However, the simple fact that they treat each other well is something nobody can deny.

"I wanted to see you," She confessed with a sweet smile on her face. It was an innocent act which actually caught Keima off guard. "Is being with me causing you trouble?"

In the past, Keima would have yelled "Of course!" without a second thought. However, the circumstances are different now than from back then. Kanon, despite being a famous idol, has no friends in school. That small fact made him slightly stare at her absentmindedly. A small part of him told him that he should respond accordingly. Another part also told him to give this girl a hug. He consciously buried the latter part of his thoughts at the depths of his psyche.

"No…" He finally answered her before looking away. "I don't mind that you are here…"

Keima may be the God of Conquest, but he is still a young teenage boy. So letting out his true feelings is something which he finds difficult. If it were a script he was reciting, then he could say it without a care in the world. Still, the boy had a bit of pride. He won't admit things easily and being subtle allows him to freely pry the girl off his thoughts.

"Really?" Kanon had a smile that would have made any lesser teen confess their undying love to her in a flash. "I'm happy! So happy!"

She giggled with excitement in a way that Keima has never seen before. It also proves that the girl was being honest with him. Keima may be reluctant to admit his feelings but there was no doubt that Kanon is a charming girl. Of course, he knew the only reason the idol constantly approaches him is because of the girl's selfish desire of making him into one of her fans.

A small thought entered his mind. A wicked proposition which made his gaming senses tingle. Keima Katsuragi, during the last sixteen years, never had a single friend. Some may argue that Ayumi is a friend to him and it was shown that she even treats him like any other friend she had. But Keima never reciprocated her good will. He remained the same constantly throughout the whole ordeal of their sessions together.

Keima's feelings remained the same and even though he knew Ayumi wouldn't mind hanging around him. In the end, he was glad that the runner chose to keep her distance. These thoughts gave way for his sinister proposal to come to mind.

What if… we give the girl what she wants?

Become Kanon's fan and end the days of their comedic slice of life. It would be easy, Keima was already listening to her songs so informing her would not be a lie. If he fulfilled her desire then this intimacy will come to an end.

"No… not intimacy," Keima corrected himself with a whisper. "It is more like… friendly banter."

"Kanon-" However, when he tried to execute his plans the gamer's voice became weak.

Kanon was humming in the meantime, not minding that she was spending her lunch with a boy. The tone with which she was using differs from all her previous songs. Keima didn't know it yet but Kanon was now on the final stages of completing her new song.

Today, Kanon felt that all the pain of the world faded away. The times that she shared with Keima will be treasured in her memory forever. For others, it may look as if the two are a couple but that was far from the truth.

If word got out that the teen idol spent time with Otamegane, it will become scandalous. Once it reaches the idol Industry, then Kanon's fame will plummet.

Once your fame is down the drain then you are a goner, this was the reality of showbiz. To a youth who wanted to reach greater heights, it would be like jumping off the train tracks.

Both are partially-they chose to ignore such an obvious risk. Keima knew of how the 'real' works and has spent all his life to only follow the minimum requirements and basics the reality ask of him.

They tell you adults know best. They were right. There are limitations that prevent others from improving. Their dreams were nothing more than a fantasy once they realize this. Only few people reached their dreams and that few acknowledge the hardships they faced. If they can allow it, they will discourage others from taking too many risk. Keima came to understand that the 'real' will provide 'risk' if he stands out.

Keima realized the futility of studying. The world was just like that, a ball and chain. The only reason Keima didn't go mad from the revelation is due in part of his one true love. Video games, specifically of the galge genre.

Many think that he is just escaping reality but the truth was that he has already found a goal in life. A life playing his beloved games and earning off them. Granted, he would pay to play his games but a lot of people actually seek for his guidance that he is living off the network's advertisement.

He would overspend a lot of the time, not including the last month of hell he bitterly still remembers. Still, it was only a minor setback. In fact, due to the speed he had played his games, his fan base only increased with time. This in turn increased views and also his income. He doesn't know it yet but the site he was managing has become a hotbed for would be game developers to seek wisdom. Even some veteran and failing companies visit his site on a regular basis just to gather information about the games he played. The gaming industry bloomed because of Keima's relentless pursuit of his gaming and this has earned the unconditional respect of many gamers.

He would soon receive a check containing a large sum of money. The likes of which can only be compared to the salary of a prominent company's manager.

"That's a nice tune," Keima complimented absentmindedly. Kanon noticed which made her smile.

"Thanks!" She beamed. "It is from a new song from my upcoming album."

Keima nodded though he wasn't sure if Kanon was advertising her album to him out of necessity or good intentions. Being an idol, mixed signals can be sent making the girls intentions vague at best.

Keima still has no idea why Kanon was up there with him but that concern left him a while ago. He returned to playing his console as the two spent their time together on the bench. In this moment of peace, Keima felt his earphone taken away from his ear.

He turned to find a playfully amused idol toying with his gaming accessory.

"Ne, Keima-kun, can I listen?" The gleam in her eyes made him remind himself of his curios days. It was the same look of fascination and curiosity he had when he first held a console.

Keima gestured with his hand to do whatever she wants. Kanon took this chance like a kid having candy and sat closer to him. Today, Keima was in the middle of playing a game with a long narrative than gameplay options. A visual novel one would say. The music playing made one curios and interested in the story unfolding on the screen.

This, of course, brought the idol closer as the text on the screen ran pass. It was mostly the thoughts of the main character contemplating about life and the girls he is involved with. Though, the route he chose was complicated.

He was stuck with the red haired girl. She was an artist with parameters Keima barely had a grasp over. One could say that her character is unique despite many others having similar traits.

The game treats the characters as if they are real people. Extensive knowledge and experiences are mixed in with the development and progression. Naturally, Keima at first, thought he was able to capture multiple girls.

But that was not the case after he successfully unlocked the route of the first girl.

Coincidentally, the first girl was a _runner_ like Ayumi. The irony Keima found as he played the game is that the two girls shared some similarity.

Beside him, Kanon was absorbed at the text that came and went. The colorful cast of characters appearing in the Artist's route is amusing her to say the least. Right now, the MC and the Artist are together having a smoke and talking about the experience.

Of course, until it came to the mature scenes. Kanon had a blush spreading all the way to her ears. The scene before her embarrassing her and made her slightly curious.

Keima thought of pulling away but went against it. The scene played before them and the text continued to run. He raised his eyebrows slightly at the scene which he had already seen many times along the run.

For some reason, Keima dropped on the bad ending even though he thought he chose the correct choices.

Beside him, Kanon was blushing up a storm and Keima was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable because of it.

Before he can do anything however, the bell rang signalling the end of lunch period. Keima instantly hit save and powered off the console which slightly disappointed the idol as she was reading an interesting part.

"You can watch me play this through next time. I've already seen it a lot of times but I don't mind showing you how it ends." Keima said as other students began to head to class.

"Ah!" Kanon exclaimed as if remembering something important. "I forgot to give you these!"

Keima started at the idol as she digs through her pocket. "Here!"

What she brought out was a pair of tickets.

"And this is…?"

"Premium tickets for my concert that allows you to go backstage with two other people!"

"Oh," Keima nodded understanding. "And?"

"I am finally having a concert at the stage of my dreams! I want you to be there!"

Keima did not know where her enthusiasm came from as she hands him the tickets. It wasn't that long since the concert they had on Tokyo so he didn't know what was special about this concert.

"When will it start?"

"Tonight!"

"Of course you threw me the curve ball at the last minute," Keima said a hint of annoyance in his tone.

However, Kanon was unrelenting as she leans forward on Keima with pleading eyes. "Will I see you tonight~"

Oh the innuendos one would have made at that moment to make things worse. Luckily, no one insensitive was close by so nothing was said.

"I-" He wanted to say he was busy. That he had more important things to do than attend her concert. But, his brain told him that it was wrong. "Don't have any friends to bring with me."

Keima mentally slapped himself, why did he evade the question?

"Oh," It seems like she finally remembered who she was talking to. "You can invite your mother along if you want."

"Over my dead body," Keima silently whispered with dread. He had the look of someone who heard something absolutely stupid. Kanon realized this and played it off with a laugh.

"Of course, you can just go there alone,"

"Do you really want me to be there?" Keima asked as he glanced at the tickets.

"Yes!" She declared unexpectedly. She blushed once Keima shifted his gaze to her. "I mean… it will make me happy,"

Keima noted the business-like answer and groaned. He pocketed the tickets for later. "I'll be there. But I make no promises of bringing someone along."

Kanon smiled, gave a bow, and went back to class first. Keima didn't bother to watch the idol leave as he prepared his bag. For him, there wasn't a need to hurry back to class.

Once he opened the sliding door, the teacher was already in the middle of teaching class. Said teacher marked him present already and didn't bother to turn to the door to address Keima.

Keima took his seat and switched his gaming cartridge for a different game. He slightly caught sight of Ayumi looking at his direction before sheepishly looking away slightly annoyed. Keima didn't mind but also noticed Kanon who was seating a few tables away from him. She noticed that Keima was staring at her from her peripheral vision but by the time she turned around to look Keima was already in the middle of playing his game.

It didn't take long for school to come to an end as the students thanked their teacher for the lesson. Everyone else prepared to leave.

Some of them had club activities and are heading to their respective club rooms. Others had part-time jobs and left school entirely. Others had nothing to do as they are the type who are waiting their friends to come and go home together or have some fun.

Keima did not fit to any of this trope.

Keima sat there completely alone as students came and went. He left soon after the assigned students finished cleaning the room. At this hour, Keima would have went home. However, today he is planning to ask someone out with him. He only hopes things won't get… weird.

He walked to a certain hall in the building and vanished as he soon turned.

* * *

 _Later that day…_

It was almost evening when Keima finally arrived at the concert hall. He was waiting for the people he invited to this concert to come has he had their tickets.

At the present moment, Keima was leaning beside the backstage entrance of the concert hall. He already showed the personnel there his ticket and told them that he was waiting for his _friends._

Keima was in the middle of a very intense moment where the game he was playing finally reached a favourable conclusion right until someone took his PFP away. Furious, Keima turned and looked at the thief with fury in his eyes.

"You seem energetic, considering what happened to you earlier today." A male about his age said. He was wearing their school uniform under a very familiar white jersey as his bag hangs on his side.

"Forgive me for the wait, Gamer-kun~" Another voice, this time a female said. She wore a purple shirt under a white tank top, leather jeans and a pair of sneakers.

"You changed clothes?" Keima asked with raised eyebrows.

"You gave me a small amount of time when you invited me to this event you know! I didn't have the luxury of dressing up for event when I arrived on my apartment when they dismissed us! And this boy right here still had to report to the chairman to boot!" She complained slightly to the boy right next to him.

"No choice. Someone assaulted a fellow student that afternoon and attacked me. Had to report this matter for the chairman to handle." The boy said as if there was nothing he could do about it. "It involved that monster parent."

Though the conversation was turning interesting, this wasn't the reason Keima invited these two to the concert.

"It's fine, we barely have to get on time to get in anyway." Keima said as he turned to the crew loading in their equipment on stage. "Glad you can make it Nurse Joy."

"Speaking of which, you came here earlier than expected Gamer-kun?" Joy pointed out. Keima didn't even change out of his school uniform.

"Can't do anything about it. Mom would find out that I was heading out somewhere pass my usual night outs."

"If I remember correctly, you live only a few blocks away from school. Why didn't you just sneak in and have a change of clothes? There was a lot of time before the appointed meet-up." The boy pointed out which made Keima think about it.

"I won't be able to do that as Mom is the only one home. Besides, if I came home from school early she would have me work on the shop leaving me no time to change either way." He said with a sigh before turning to the boy.

"Who are you anyway?"

"I am Sena, an Enforcer of our school." The boy wearing the white jersey introduced himself. Keima suspiciously turns back to Joy gave him a contemplated look at his staring.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Keima asked catching the two by complete surprise.

"What!? No!" The two denied while sharing a blush.

Keima gave them a look of disbelief when he took note of the two having this air of familiarity. It was obvious the two shared feelings of intimacy to each other.

"What's your relationship then?"

The two stared at each other before answering Keima, "We are siblings,"

"Oh," Keima said with a slight nod. "So, Sena is a Nishihara-"

"I am not a part of her family name." Sena corrected him before Keima could continue.

"I didn't think you were married already, Nurse Joy?"

"I am still single, Gamer-kun~" The nurse replied with a sweet disarming smile. The gamer looked at the two baffled and a loss for words.

"…the hell?" Pretty much sums it up for him.

"It's complicated," The two replied as if this was rehearsed for a long time.

"I don't want to know," Keima honestly replied as he took his game console from the nurse. "We should get in before they leave us here."

Both of them nodded as Keima lead them to the backstage. A staff member inside gave them V.I.P passes in exchange for their tickets. This allows them to come and go as they would please. The staff member then brought them to the lounge where snacks are placed on a table for them to eat. While Sena and Joy thank the staff Keima noticed the flowers placed nearby. They were filled with letters of congratulations and the like from many sponsors and names of various people.

Two of the flowers stood out as they were named Lime and the other Yuri.

As Keima walked past at those two sets of flowers which stood out he bumped into someone.

"Sorry," He apologized without looking at the person.

"It's fine… hmm?" The person noticed his gazed fixed on the flowers. "Say, are you curios about her old idol group?"

This caught Keima's attention. Someone knew of the idol's old performance partners and he wanted to know as much as possible.

As he turned to ask, he noticed the person he bumped into was a girl. There were two of them, girls who look out of place in the place they were in. One looked outstanding with her blond curls while the other girl with bob hair looked upbeat.

"You don't seem to be a fan… so are you related to Kanon-chan in some way?" The blone girl asked.

"I am." He stopped for a moment before turning to face them fully. "I helped during her tour to Tokyo."

He omitted the fact that he walked her home in the end but they didn't need to know that.

"Oho~!" The girl with bob hair raise with delight. "Kanon-chan asked a boy out to her concert? That is really reassuring!"

There was a slight misunderstanding so Keima tried to fix it. "I am just her classmate,"

"Just?" The blond one raised as she looks at Keima from head to toe. "Indeed, you look like you just got here from school."

"Doesn't mean that the two don't have a connection, Lime-chan~" The other girl teased.

"I'm sure Kanon-chan's springtime hasn't bloomed yet, Yuri." The girl named 'Lime' pointed out.

"Heh," 'Yuri' seemed disappointed but that smile never left her face.

Keima stood there confused at everything that is happening. The two girls exchanged their banter while the other jokes and teases. The blond would often flush and grumble while the other would always give a refreshing smile.

"Are you two?" Keima wanted to ask but wasn't sure where he should start.

"Yup~ The two of us are Kanon-chan's former idol group Citron~ desu~" Yuri cheered raising her hands as if the spotlight was on her.

"Why is there a spotlight there?" Keima asked bewildered with the fact said light was on Yuri and showed of her sensual form.

"Cut that out Yuri, the kid is gonna have a headache keeping up with us at this rate." Lime reprimanded Yuri as the lights came back on like nothing happened.

"Ok~" Yuri spun around once and brought her hands together before putting them forward. "It is our once in a lifetime opportunity to introduce ourselves to a fan so I wanted to go all out~"

For some reason, Keima was comprehending less and less as Yuri continued with her act. It felt like he shouldn't laugh but he can't help but chuckle at her childishness.

It made him realize that these two were with Kanon for a majority of her career before they split up. He finally understands where the idol's childish stubbornness comes from.

"Ah, forgot to introduce myself." Keima called out before Yuri can set off again. "I am Katsuragi, Keima."

"You already know the two of us so there won't be a need for introductions." Lime said matter-of-factly as she sighs.

"What made you interested in us, Keima-kun?" Yuri went straight to the point as she leans forward. "Did you want to know Kanon-chan's three sizes?"

And awkward silence ensued as Keima was left speechless by the shameless girl. Although, he wasn't very convincing as his face light up like a Christmas tree.

"Ah~ Keima-kun is a boy after all! Of course you would want to know~" She teased which made Lime sigh once again.

"Yuri, be serious about this. He clearly wants to know something else." For someone who looked like she didn't know any better, Lime seemed quite sharp in Keima's eyes.

Keima regained his composure and asked about Kanon's past.

At that moment, the cheery mood all but disappeared and what was left gave the impression of leaving a bad after taste.

Unknowingly to Keima, the two behind him were listening in on their conversation. Sena was on the table eating food while secretly listening in while Joy smiled bitterly beside him.

Lime decided to take the lead and explained from the beginning.

Kanon isn't actually born from her parents. Her real parents left her in an orphanage long ago before being adopted. The circumstances behind the adaption weren't specified to the two so they told Keima to ask her instead.

Unfortunately, while growing up, people would often forget her and would unknowingly cause her pain when they jokingly dismiss their mistake of forgetting her. It left a wound that desperately needed to be fixed.

At the time Lime and Yuri were trying out and invited Kanon to join them. The two were friends since they were in their primary and often looked out for her.

It didn't take long for them to officially debut and perform on stage but the road to stardom was paved in hardship, scandals, and most important of all the support of fans.

Yuri stepped up when Lime became uncomfortable about the subject and explained what had happened the year before the group officially disbanded.

Their fans were split up between Lime and Kanon and the company they were signed in were forced to give them away to more capable hands.

Lime debuted and stayed at Narusawa City, forcing her to change schools in the process.

Kanon stayed and made her debut in Maijima City while Yuri decides to pursue in her studies. Currently, she is a student in their school as well but under special circumstances is she allowed to attend school during exam periods.

Keima understood then that his itch to know has been satisfied but a new problem arises.

What should he do to confront Kanon?

He knew now that he must go to her but he can't meet her yet. Maybe when the concert is over-

"Kanon-chan is gone!"

It was then that all hell broke loose.

* * *

 _Somewhere…_

Tonight was the big night for Kanon's career as hundreds to thousands of fans line up and enter the stadium. Little did they know that said idol was nowhere to be found and every staff member was completely alarmed.

Keima, Joy, and Sena were outside searching for the runaway idol but with no luck so far.

Of course, a dazzling star such as her would immediately catch the attention of anyone but no such thing happened as they searched around.

The three met up on a spot where the nurse and Keima rested while Sena had a look of frustration present in his face.

"I don't get it! It's like she disappeared in thin air!" The young boy shouted as he paces back and forth in front of the two.

"That can't be, Kanon-chan would have been spotted the moment she left the dome. But, surprisingly no one seems to even notice her." Joy said with a sigh.

Keima was silent as he remembered what happened a few minutes ago. When news that Kanon disappeared reach their ears it didn't take a moment too soon for them to head out and drag the gamer along with them.

At first, Keima wanted to protest but decides against it. The star of the show is missing and a lot of anxious fans are dying to see her.

The three of them split up. Joy took to looking on the nearby stalls, Keima took to search around the dome and the perimeter while Sena ran around in various places looking for said idol.

In the end, all of them came back with no clue as to where she has gone to. Naturally, Sena was the most frustrated as he literally dragging his feet around a quarter of this side of Narusawa just to find Kanon.

The situation seemed grim and all three knew that things are going to get worse if they don't find the idol soon.

"I'll go and return to the dome. I want to find out if Kanon has returned." Sena voiced as he turned to leave.

"I'll come too!" Joy said standing from her seat. "Maybe will get some clue as to what happened in her room."

While the two left to gather clues back on the dome, Keima stayed behind and released a sigh.

"Where are you idol?" Keima silently called out as he looks up towards the sky.

* * *

The stars were out that night and one can see the beauty of Narusawa's Seaside area.

Unfortunately, it was cold during this time of the year and colder if near the sea which caused the gamer to slightly shiver in place.

Unbeknownst to any of them, the one they were looking for was actually right beside them this whole time.

Kanon was there, crying on the bench until the three came and settled right next to her. At first, Kanon didn't notice until her name was called out.

She watched as the three looked exhausted, two of them looked out of shape while one of them seemed to have run a marathon.

They didn't notice the idol staring at them at that moment.

At first she was embarrassed to cause these three trouble. When the two left Kanon slightly calmed down as she rubbed her eyes.

She felt like a lost child again from long ago.

It depressed her and at that moment, Keima turned towards her… or at least it looked like it.

He was staring straight into her eyes. What she saw was a look of worry and genuine concern for the missing idol.

It was a look she hadn't seen Keima make since the moment they met.

Kanon was torn at that moment, more tears pouring out than she did previously.

At that moment, Keima decided to leave and search some more…

For the first time in her life, Kanon was filled with bravery.

She reached out her hand and held Keima's hand. Keima was shocked to suddenly feel his person being intruded upon once again. When he turned, he found the crying idol looking pathetically at him.

"Kanon…?" Keima was at a loss for words, she looked so pitiable that he didn't know what to do.

"P-please stay with me…" She trailed off not looking him in the eye.

Keima had a lot to say to the idol. First was the ask her to let go of his hand; the rest was to berate her before taking her back.

So why did he decide to take a seat next to the idol? In truth, even he didn't know the answer. It just felt… wrong… and he doesn't understand it himself…

Minutes passed as the two sat there without saying a word. Occasionally, Keima would hear his PFP notify him of mail. He decided to ignore it as Kanon held his hand tightly.

It was the hand of a scared frail girl about to lose something important in her life.

"Are you afraid of being ignored again?" The gamer asked the idol.

It may be considered rude but this is how Keima truly is, he wouldn't change even if the world would end then and there.

Kanon couldn't help but give this sad smile at Keima. It was the only answer he needed before she turned away again. Not talking.

"I've talked with some people…" Keima trailed off looking at the empty area in front of him. "I think I now understand why you decided to continue being an Idol,"

Kanon didn't show interest but her eyes were glued to him now. This was what he wanted to happen.

"When you took up the mantle of idol, you hoped with all your heart that people would start to notice you. To be a part of their lives,"

"But, you noticed, that the road you walk in is filled with pain and loneliness." Keima felt his hand started to hurt but ignored it. "You lost your only friends in exchange for fame."

"I-" Her tone was hoarse, like she just swallowed a cup of needles.

"I know, you aren't a selfish girl. I can tell from your friends, they really…" Keima was silent for a moment before turning to the idol. "Love you,"

Her eyes grew wide at the sudden declaration of love, her face flushed faster than she realized and soon her whole body heated up. Keima noticed it as it was his turn to hold her tight.

"…"

Again silence but Keima said his part. Now, he can rest easy. There was no need for them to continue the relationship they had until now.

"Yes… Keima-kun is right… you know everything about me!" She could barely say so properly but her eyes said that she was serious.

"This scenario happened in a game I played so…" He trailed off but was ignored by the idol.

It was at this moment that Kanon embraced Keima in a hug. Her warm body suddenly came in contact with him and he was slightly freaking out. However, what she said next only made him realize how desperate Kanon has become.

"Keima-kun, please stay with me forever!" She declared holding me tight. "I want you there with me! By my side, supporting me!"

The look in her eyes were filled with despair and in those eyes was no one other than Keima. It told him… that if he let this continue, then her whole world would revolve around the gamer.

If this scenario continued, then they would never reach the good ending. She would desperate hold onto him like a life raft in the crashing sea that is the 'real'.

It would lead to scandals and eventually, forced retirement. But it wouldn't be so bad. She would just return to a regular normal girl.

Granted, she would be shunned but Keima would be there with her. Although she doesn't have any friends, he would be there at the rooftop playing games and Kanon would be there listening to the game and watching him make his choices.

It wouldn't be so bad…

" _How pathetic have I become…_ "

" _For me to think that such an outcome was okay?_ "

" _I'm nothing but scum…_ "

At that moment, as Kanon was about to lean in for a kiss, Keima held her face. It was a silent moment where Keima's eyes were clouded before he finally said something.

"No, bleh bleh."

" _What would I be if I allow this person to be alone?_ "

Kanon was confused but life returned to Keima's eyes. For some reason, his cold stare stopped her from breaking down and crying. It felt like the eyes of a parent finally resolving in scolding their child.

"Are you just willing to accept that? To push so hard to get where you are only to back out cause of fear?"

The resolution in those eyes spread out and Keima stood up and placed his hands on the shoulders of the startled young idol.

"Stop it! Stop pushing yourself to become what others expect you to be!"

It was for a split moment but Kanon saw Keima have a hint of pink on his face while slightly looking down.

"Your songs. I think… they are good,"

At that moment, Kanon felt the pain in her heart being forcefully wretched out. Like some force was about to expelled from her at that very moment.

"Use your own power!" Keima declared with all of his heart. "Shine!"

Tugging became intense and Kanon was becoming weak at the knees. She could barely stand as she replied,

"I… I can't use my power. I'm afraid! It is impossible for me to do it alone!"

Tears slowly fell from her eyes but Keima's face was all she could see. Bold, daring, and full of pride. Qualities she lacks, things she isn't able to have because of her nature.

"Listen…" Keima said softly as he slowly closed his eyes. " _They_ are calling for you,"

At first Kanon was confused. It was only then she realized what he meant.

Not far away, Sena and Joy were screaming out for Kanon. Somebody from the stadium heart them and thought it was a chant to receive the idol and suddenly called her name too. It soon catch on and everyone in the stadium started calling for her name. Their one and only idol.

"When the lights begin to fade," Keima nonchalantly said as he turned towards the dome. "Everyone is eager to hear you sing, to see you dance, to see their _idol._ "

It was then that Kanon understood, what it truly means to be an idol.

"It would be _selfish_ of me to keep you to _myself_."

Silence reigned as the idol turned her back on the gamer. The cold wind blew as their foggy breaths leave their warm body.

"I always sing… even though it would only reach a single person,"

"Honestly, I'm glad I do that..."

Kanon turned around with the biggest smile Keima has ever seen. "Ne~ Keima-kun~"

Before Keima could utter a word something warm invaded his lips.

It was Kanon, her face right in front of him.

"Let's see each other next time, 'k?"

Kanon felt it even before she gave Keima a kiss. The feelings that dug deep in her heart was finally gone and was now filled with something else.

Love… perhaps?

Whatever it is, Kanon knew that now she can face forward without fear. And it was all thanks to this stubborn person in front of her.

Without losing any more time, Kanon turned and ran for the stage.

The show must go on right?

* * *

 _Center stage…_

Sena was on stage, playing a soft tune on a piano that was placed there. At first the fans were confused but slowly the fans calls slowly died down.

The tune was soothing, almost as if it was becoming hypnotic and the many fans were slowly getting sucked into the music.

On the stage was also Joy, playing a saxophone in hand providing soothing music to further entice the uncontrolled fans.

It was at this moment, the lights were turned off. The two were surprised but continued playing as what they saw next made them relieved.

At the center of the stage, was the idol clad in her outfit. But, instead of starting with bright uplifting music she beckons everyone to let the two continue playing.

" _Do you remember?_ " Kanon sang as the lights were all focused on her. " _The first time we met?_ "

From their Kanon continued to sing her song.

 _It was during our spring time,_

 _This was my first time meeting you_

 _Console in hand, not paying attention to anyone around._

 _You surprised me, finding you there where I used to hide._

 _I didn't know what to do, I was incredibly shy~_

 _I took my courage and say "Nice to meet you~"_

 _You looked up~ And I could tell, that we lived in two different worlds~_

 _At first we didn't get along,_

 _But little by little, I found myself getting to know you~_

Kanon raised her free hand to the crowed as the lights slowly points around before turning back to Kanon.

 _To my surprise, you find my songs relaxing,_

 _Though you continue to play your games~_

 _You tell me that my songs give you peace_

 _I never knew the relief of hearing such words_

 _It gave me hope and now I find myself singing my songs for you~_

Kanon closed her eyes as she brought her hands close to her chest.

 _Remember the day you decided to join me?_

 _You encouraged me and told me how my songs reach the crowd~_

 _At first, I didn't know what to do,_

 _To see it through, but I held on._

 _Suddenly things began to change_

 _This as all thanks to you~_

Sena and Joy finally understood. This was more than just a song, this was her love letter.

 _And now I got to know you better…_

 _I noticed little by little…_

 _I am beginning to fall for you~_

 _Little by little, I am getting to know you~_

 _How nice it was that you are listening to my songs~_

 _Even though you mostly ignore me…_

 _The two of us are beginning to get along~_

 _But when I begin~ To start to sing~_

 _I feel the weight of the world lifting off my shoulders~_

 _This is a song filled with my love~_

Slowly, the music began to fade but Kanon wanted to continue. She didn't want to end this song just yet. She wanted for him to hear her voice… even if just for a moment longer.

 _I welcome you to my world~_

 _Don't be nervous or afraid~_

 _Though I wanted to run~_

 _You told me to stay~_

 _You held onto me~ Told me everyone is calling~_

 _I am ready to give all of my love~_

 _My love…_

 _But you confessed to me, that I wasn't yours alone~_

 _I can see you are letting me go…_

 _I smiled but I want to still hold on~_

 _So this is where we part~_

 _Though it is lonely at the top~_

 _I know you will still be waiting for me~_

 _Bellow that cherry… playing around…_

 _Sayonara…_

The song came to an end. The fans were silent for the first three seconds before they gave a standing ovation.

Sena and Joy excused themselves as the real show began.

To everyone's surprise, the idol seemed more energetic as the concert goes on. Her smiling face never faltered and it seemed to even shine.

In fact, she was shining so bright that the crowd was momentarily stunned by the brilliance of her performance.

It was like the birth of a goddess.

Everyone watched at sheer awe as the idol continued to perform.

Even the musicians stopped playing but the music continued to play which was prepared in case they made mistakes.

However no one took notice and instead, the idol continued to give the greatest concert they have ever seen.

It was only when the concert truly came to an end when everyone finally came back to life. Many were excited as they gave post about their experience in social media.

In all of that, Sena, Joy, and Keima were walking along outside the dome heading back for Maijima City.

All three of them were exhausted and though they exchange no words, they were glad for the idol's successful performance.

At that moment, no words were needed to be exchanged as the three went their separate ways.

As Keima headed home and come up with an excuse for how late he was. Kanon received a final message on his console that day.

'Thank you'


	5. The World a Librarian Only Knows Flg 3-1

**Author's Note: I'm back to finally start this part of the story! I'll be bringing out more chapters soon. Sorry for the long wait.**

* * *

A few days passed by after that and nothing else came of it. Sure I sometimes get strange messages from the nurse and the boy she took along…

Which is really freaking me out cause I don't remember handing over my contact details…

It felt strange that I can finally play my games at ease after that night. It is certainly be a memory I won't soon forget…

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Okay, I can't ignore it any longer… HOW THE HELL DID THEY GET MY E-MAIL!?

SERIOUSLY! HOW!?

After taking a moment to let these thoughts sink in, I bitterly came to the realization that they have my contact info.

I am fearing the fact that they can now contact me for some reason or another…

For my peace of mind… it is better if I just ignore them from now on…

The idol returned to her own routine after that night. There wasn't any contact since but secretly I felt disappointment when she stopped showing up. Not that I'll admit it to anyone but I guess that goes with being an idol.

If you are curios, I also received a personal thank you note from her detailing her plans for the future. It seems like I won't be seeing her for the better part of the school year.

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That fool, you didn't have to come up with an excuse to say goodbye…

It isn't like I will miss having her around or anything… whoa, did I just-Nope! Didn't happen!

Why should I be concerned for the idol? She'll be fine, there is no need for me to worry.

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Okay, perhaps I felt slightly concerned for her but that's all!

On other recent events… it seems that even though I answered one problem another keeps popping up.

In this case, Ayumi.

Yeah, _her_ , for some inexplicable reason she tries to be 'buddy-buddy' with me and, more often than not, finds excuses to have me enter her little social circle.

And when I mean 'little' then I meant what I said. Her friends are just two generic girls. One with short hair with no defining characteristics and a girl with freckles on her face and her most noticeable trait are her good grades and politeness.

Can't you take a hint you guided missile who always somehow crashes into me. I don't want to be friends even if you think otherwise! Leave me alone! One of your friends keeps giving me the stink eye and the other finds it awkward whenever I am around! Not to mention your annoying fan base! They keep giving me dirty looks and death threats beyond our classroom door!

"Ignore them, Katsuragi." Ayumi called as the four of us are eating in class. I got dragged into this and I still continue to game anyway.

"I've gotten used to the stares." I sigh admittedly while silently sucking on mint candy.

"Katsuragi-san, that's all you are going to eat for lunch?" Miyako asked perplexed by my choice of food.

"Sucks to be you man. All your money spent on games and nothing on food. If you beg for it, I may give you this tasty meat bun~" Chihiro teased while waving said food around.

"…" Ayumi only stared at me as I took a moment to look at Chihiro before returning to my game. Annoyed, she _lightly_ kicked me on my shin and an irate glare was sent to her in return.

"If you must know, I do have money to buy food but, in the first place, I am not that hungry." I told them as I took another mint candy and popped it into my mouth. "Contrary to my appearance, I actually expend more sugar than calories while I game so I am technically fine without eating."

"Are you sure you aren't just avoiding eating on the same table as us so as not to ignite sparks with _them?_ " Chihiro pointedly leans her head towards the door. I didn't need to turn to know the angry stares stabbing like daggers on my back.

"That too,"

"Jeez, can you at least eat a sandwich? I am feeling rather guilty that you aren't eating." Ayumi pouted while I rolled my eyes. I didn't ask to eat with you and who gave you the right to make demands when you forcefully dragged me into this?

"…" Of course I wouldn't say that out loud but the smirk I gave as I put my game down told plenty and that made her give me a friendly glare in return.

I don't know how this really happened but it seems that Ayumi and I are really compatible. She has gotten to know me better enough that she can tell I was acting smug by only looking at my expressions. Though I couldn't really say that we are friends… we can say that we are better acquainted.

The day went on with nothing much happening after that. My impressions with Ayumi's two friends aren't that great but they are at least tolerable… unlike the first time she tried to pull this stunt.

I still remember the animosity that Chihiro gave me while Miyako seemed unfazed but still intimidated for having me. I don't know what Ayumi was planning but in the end, Chihiro and I got into an argument and the two kept trying to pacify us.

Chihiro was slightly embarrassed with her behavior but never apologized for it. I didn't mind and I clearly pointed this out to Ayumi.

Funnily enough, this all started yesterday too and it seems like her plans are slightly successful. I'll give her that much. But still, Ayumi respects my privacy and gladly lets me go when I am in one of my heavy gaming moods.

It was funny when one time she had to pull me away from going to the girl's toilet when I accidentally took a wrong turn that one time. She gave me the obligatory kick to the wall and later apologized for it by offering me our school's famous bread.

Last term ended a while ago and I took this time to stay in class and finish up my playthrough of the latest game I am enjoying. Ayumi met with her friends as they have plans to play around on the shopping district near here. Of course she tried to invite me but I casually declined.

With nothing else to do, they left and soon after I reached my save point and prepared to leave.

"You seem busy,"

A voice said from the door. I ignored them as I took my bag and leave. Footsteps matching my own soon followed.

"Aren't you a bundle of politeness," The voice sarcastically said as I continued on my way.

"Look man, I am just here to say thanks."

I stopped.

"Finally listening?"

I turned to the stranger… only to find I am facing the boy who came with us during the concert.

"What do you want?" If this boy can tell my annoyance then he decided to ignore it.

"I wanted to say thanks for helping out with Kanon," He said while casually looking away. I took note of that and put it away in my head. This guy isn't a capture target and clearly _not_ a 2D girl. I don't want to waste my time with any of this.

"If that is all then you could have just messaged me from my e-mail."

"I thought of that but I figured it is freaking you out that we have your contact details."

Truth be told, I am still peeved by that. How did they get my contact info?

"If you are curios… why not humor me and let's talk?" There was something about this boy that gets on my nerves… but also caught my interest. I decided to humor this guy just once. There isn't really much to do once I get back home since I'll mostly review all the games I have played today.

..

We walked out of the building as I kept to my thoughts. Ayumi and I have been playing this cat and mouse game where she finds me while I try to find a place to game in peace.

One time, I tried to spend the rest of my lunch period inside the restroom and, funnily enough, I found her waiting just outside leaning on the wall like she was expecting me.

I still do not know how I felt when she nonchalantly handed me a tissue paper on the way out that day…

Sometimes… I feel like I don't have any privacy anymore…

After that incident, I told her how I felt and that my personal space was constantly being invaded by her. It never happened again but from time to time I change where I usually space out to play games.

But seriously, it feels good to finally get the freedom I deserve. The cool touch of my handheld device brings me peace. I've always had this on me wherever I go and I always have the time to play it.

I would never get this feeling of liberation if Kanon didn't constantly pursued me. She was a piece of work and it was hard to satisfy with whatever she wanted me to do. Mostly she just wanted to be praised for her efforts.

For a woman whose specks aren't high she surely drove me in for a constant loop during the entire route-No, this isn't a game. The _real_ is a shitty game. Really, I shouldn't expect any less from it. Though, I am surprised that I handled that event quite well. It felt so natural, like all the endings I have faced in all of my games… _that I…_

 _I can see the ending…_

Even now, I felt my whole body twitching with this uncontrollable amount of energy. It felt exhilarating just getting there. It felt like I was saving a heroine from a game!

But alas, poor _real,_ it is still a shitty game. There wasn't a happy ending which you will find in games. Just a forgone conclusion. _A conclusion that will only fit for the idol._

She was- _is_ a star. She may not be the brightest of all actors and actresses in this world. But she will get there eventually. Her growth will bring both surprise and happiness to anyone who saw her.

In all honesty, I can't help but smile from the possibilities.

Howbeit, her time with me came to an end. _Her role in this story is over._

As I was being led by this guy I met before… _she_ showed up…

Again, somehow, this girl has become a part of my daily routine. It was like a week wouldn't go by without us bumping into each other. But still, I'd hate to think that this is now part of my daily routine.

I guess I should take this as a blessing as this nurse hasn't seen me with Ayumi… yet. And if she did, she is keeping it to herself. I'm not going to waste time with my curiosity with her.

Guys my age would think that it is lucky for them to have this nurse's attention but… actually maybe some girls would love to be in my position too. You never know with this school's history… yeah, I wish I didn't know these kind of things.

Anyone else would raise their eyebrows if they see us together… especially if said nurse is wearing casual wear. A full grown adult with outstanding curves and body tone along with me, a casual high school student and resident of the 2-D world.

Go ahead and complain to the heavens about the _lucky_ event that I am in.

"Konnichiwa, Sena, Gamer-kun~"

"Thank you for the hard work as always," The boy greeted back as I nodded towards Nurse Joy.

"Did you have fun with Kanon?"

What? What did she mean by that?

"I find her persistence quite endearing."

"Is that so? So, you figured that it was fine to give her a little push back then?"

..

"I-"

..

A pause. It was something I didn't really expect of myself.

"So nothing huh? Strange, I was expecting more out of you but I guess this is _you._ "

Something about what she said bothered me a little. I get that she is worried about the idol but why does she keep prodding about me? It felt like… she was looking out for me…

..

I turned my eyes to stare at the nurse, her gaze elsewhere. Occasionally she would turn her eyes to me but wouldn't look directly into my eyes. As if, something else occupied that mind of hers.

We went like this for a few seconds. She still said nothing as we continued on our way with her following slightly. I can see her occasionally turning to me. I also saw her slightly raise her hands before stopping. Again, it felt strange.

What is going on with her?

Whatever it was she was thinking, she finally made up her mind. A smile replaced her placid one in mere seconds before beaming.

"I see," The tone she used was different from before. "I guess it is fine then. Kanon-chan seems happy and I am glad the two of you get along~"

As soon as she stops being serious she returned to her usual teasing self. I rolled my eyes once again at this carefree woman's change of attitude.

"Ne~ Gamer-kun, I didn't think you'd produce a healthy shade of red~"

I didn't take kindly to the assault of my facial features as we parted ways. The guy I was with didn't say anything during the whole interaction. I guess he just wasn't interested.

"You've gotten used to her." He said simply as we stopped in front of a huge building.

"Isn't this-"

"Yup,"

In the end, I had no idea why he brought me here and for what reason other than to talk. We went inside and the coolness of the library welcomed us in…

 _It felt like it was forever since I felt this peaceful…_

..

 **The World a Librarian Only Knows**

 **Flag 3.1: Book Deal**

To spend the rest of my afternoon at the library.

Granted, in this day and age books have become almost a thing of the past.

This golden age of technology, which allows information to freely circulate around the world at a fast pace made libraries seem like a relic of the past.

To tell the truth, even I feel that there is no point for there to be a library anymore.

I can understand that not all people are tech savvy but there is no doubt in my mind that obtaining information on the net will yield better results if you look hard enough.

I can go on and on about the advantages of this accelerating growth of technology but it also has its downsides.

But that will take too long to explain as the guy led me to a table.

The two of us sat opposite each other, the guy was staring me with his bright blue eyes. I stared with my own and I noticed there was something strange with his eyes.

 _It was like it wasn't originally his own…_

"For someone who is infamous around this school… little is really known about you, Katsuragi-kun," The guy started as he took out a folder.

"I'm not really the social guy… you know… in case you didn't notice earlier."

"Good point." He opened the folder and I saw pictures of me and my personal information sticking out. "I didn't think I would meet with the original host of our underground Message Board like this."

I fell silent at that.

"It wasn't supposed to be a place where the _normies_ would post all of their toxic shit in there and not face any retaliation." I truly regretted not destroying the site when I had the chance.

"Yes, at first it was just used to post guides for others just like you who were playing a game similar to yours. But slowly others came upon your site until it blew out of proportion."

He took out a file containing the list of my activities on the Message Board before it became infested with toxicity.

"I didn't think it would really happen at the time. No one was really interested unless it came to gaming." I remembered how I was still moderating the place for any queries about the games I have played previously or any rumors on where I can get new games from.

"Then suddenly it became a hotbed for rumors to circulate around. I watched helplessly as my only site of refuge became a toxic bed of deceit."

"Quite. The instigators of such madness isn't lost on me. In fact, I was one of your moderators at the time, Katsuragi-kun."

 _He was? But only a handful of the people inside at the time were just few and among them I selected the most responsible and eager to be my moderators._

"To be one of them is a great honor and for us to meet is really strange indeed." I nodded to the strangeness of the situation.

"That doesn't explain how you are able to contact me though. Once the place became infested I abandoned the Message board and gave it to someone else. I even purged any and all of my activity and list of contacts before handing it over."

"Yes, but as a fellow moderator I was keen on keeping all my contacts close to me." He held out a phone and from the screen I saw an old familiar e-mail address I used to have.

"I didn't keep any contacts… unlike you it seems."

"Trust me, I could barely contact anyone after you left and some of them are content to abandon ship. I was tempted too but with my unique position at the time, I decided to stay and monitor some of the more dangerous individuals in our school." There was a slight change in the look in his eyes but I couldn't figure what it was.

"I don't care what you do with it anymore. My time there was short but I guess it was inevitable that it became infested." I said with a scowl. That day was still one of the darkest times in my life.

"Alfred was the only other one left and he took over the site when you disappeared. For some reason, he liked the fact that everyone was posting such… _toxic_ behavior outside their school lives."

"That's putting things nicely,"

It wasn't even close to how bad it actually was in there. It was like it became a part of hell for no apparent reason. On one time I visited out of habit, I saw a post detailing a certain crazy student planning to harm someone in broad daylight. The others didn't help either as they goaded the deranged fool into doing it.

 _That day, there were two victims though there was only one crime…_

I wasn't there that day but, according to the rumors, a guy from the disciplinary committee snapped and attacked the creep who stabbed another student. I wasn't privy about the details but I can tell that when even I couldn't find anything in the message board then it means that it is being covered up.

 _To all who use this Message Board. Anyone who post of any details that happened the other day will be banned. This has become an official matter concerning the police and those involved. Anyone caught talking will be summoned by the school chairman. Heavy reprimands will also be given to those who goaded the instigator from harming a fellow student. In other words, this school does not want you. See to it that your history in this board and all activities will be talked behind the chairman's doors._

I couldn't even find out what happened due to the warning and heavy restrictions. It didn't stop the curios visitors from asking around though. _Alfred_ , found them harmless and didn't pursue. What a problematic successor.

"As for how I got your information…" Sena continued bringing me out of my reprieve. "I stumbled upon your official site. Fallen God."

My site? How did he connect me from back then to my new site now?

"I won't hide it, it is truly mine. I became weary and made this site more pure in nature than secretive." It was a simple task of buying a domain name and filling out the rest. I made it look empty in order to discourage anyone who stumble on it.

Once you wear inside, however, became a different story. An archive of all of my successful achievements. Of all the games I have conquered, of the girls I saved. There are no other such as it and though time will take it away… it will still continue to be proof of all my achievements.

"Interesting, truly someone who earned the admiration of yours truly." The smile he gave was shining brightly that I gave a slight twitch on my eye.

"But I digress, the reason I found you is because of the rules and regulations that you demanded from anyone visiting."

"That?" I merely copied what I made on the message board then added a few more stipulations. How can you even find out it was me with just that?

"Yes, I can tell that you are skeptical about it but… even Alfred can immediately tell that it was you. Seriously dude, your arrogant attitude and your moniker as the "God of Conquest" is still there. You didn't even remove it."

I couldn't help but slap myself then and there. I couldn't believe I made such an obvious mistake!

"It is my lost," I sighed.

"It isn't too bad. The few contacts I had joined in as soon as I found you. Everyone was happy to see you post again actually." The smile he gave hurts so much.

"But what really surprised me was the e-mail address. Imagine my surprise when I asked Kanon-chan about your contact info. Joy was laughing the whole time at my dumbfounded face!"

I laughed slightly at that. I knew that the nurse enjoys anything that finds her fancy. Funny faces and reactions are one of them. I know her that much.

"And that folder is?" I pointed as Sena puts the folder away. He looked slightly surprised before smiling again.

"I wanted to find out more about you. You see… I find you really interesting, Katsuragi-kun." For some reason, I felt a chill go down my spine.

"Come again?"

"I think I made my point."

Silence. There was an uncomfortable silence as the two of us stared at each other. Cold sweat began dripping on my forehead as this continued.

But before anyone could say a word. Someone from the side approached the two of us.

"Excuse me..." Her voice was so low that it barely registered to me that she was talking.

"Yes?" Sena turned to her and this startled the girl slightly.

"…" Her lips were moving but no words were coming out. But it seemed that Sena caught her words… or he thinks he does.

"I told you before, I don't have the power to change their decision." There was a frown on his face as the girl became troubled. She was turning her head rapidly before looking at him again. Her face was pleading and this caused Sena to flinch.

"Really… you…" He turns away before finally noticing that I was still here.

The girl who was pleading with him earlier turned and finally noticed me. For some reason, her face turned red before she pulled on Sena's uniform.

"I know… time is almost up," He turned to her with concern before finally setting his sights on me. For some reason, I find his gaze really unpleasant.

"Say, Katsuragi-kun~" And I find his tone even more unpleasant. "Think you can do me a bit of a favor?"

"I don't like where this is going."

"If you do this for me… I'll give you benefits." The way he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively gave me goosebumps. "What do you say?"

"I refuse."

"Are you sure? I mean…" He paused slightly before his gaze became dangerous. "I'd really _appreciate_ all the help I can get."

Something was off with this man. One moment he was really friendly and the next he suddenly became hostile.

Whatever the case, I feel as though if I refused… trouble will be on the horizon.

"…" The girl looked troubled as she turned her between me and the boy. Confusion was etched on her face.

"What do you want me to do?" I finally asked. The boy dropped all hostility and smiled.

"Glad to know you are on bo-"

"I'm not accepting yet. I want to know what I am getting myself into before taking any favors."

Sena gave a contemplative look but his smile never wavered. The look he gave me was predatory, like a cat finding an amusing toy to play with.

 _And I didn't like it one bit…_

"It is rather simple really." The boy shifted his gaze to the girl before continuing. "But first, introductions are in order."

"hya!"

There was a yelp of surprise as our attention turned to her. Clear embarrassment was on her face as she became the center of attention.

"This is Shiori. Shiomiya, Shiori-chan~" Sena declared which made the girl even more embarrassed before bowing.

"And this boy here, Shiori-chan, is Katsuragi, Keima." And for some reason, he told her my name even though I didn't want to tell her.

"Nice to meet you," I greeted even though I was annoyed.

"Now that introductions are over," Sena clapped his hands together before looking at the two of us. "I want the two of you to work together to stop the plans of the Library Committee!"

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It was at that moment that I knew… that my normal days would never return to me again…


	6. The World a Librarian Only Knows Flg 3-2

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"What are you doing?"

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"Is that interesting?"

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" _Yes_ …"

 **The World a Librarian Only Knows: Flag – 3.2**

 _ **Before we knew it… I was already being led by the hand.**_

"Thought you would be silent for the whole session again. Guess I'm lucky you are talking at all,"

I nodded. I like the silence the library provides whenever I want to read.

"How would you… _rate that book?_ "

"It _sucks!_ " The boy before me said with a hint of annoyance. "At most, I'll give props to the writer for being factual but overall it isn't good. A _rushed job_ if I have to evaluate it."

A little irked by the harsh criticism, I decided to ask something instead. "Do we… _have to throw away the book?_ "

There was slight movement as our eyes met for the briefest of moments before he let the book down.

" _Sorry,_ "

It was enough to let me know that said book was no good at all. Even though I find said book passible by my standards.

"I'd ordinarily let these kinds of _works_ pass but we have like, a dozen of the same kind in stock. There is no point in keeping this book if it won't help."

At that I could only pout. Unsaid words were loud and clear to me despite the relative silence we shared. _It wasn't up to par with the other books they had._

If I have to be honest, the relationship that me and _Sena_ have is a strange one. I'm a person who likes reading for the sake of reading. There isn't a book I haven't read and there is a place for such works inside the library that is my mind.

Sena, however, treats the books as just tools for learning. A great source of information that may help with our everyday lives.

He doesn't love books per se. I just think that he only shares the same sentiments that everyone else have with my precious books.

That they're just that. Books.

Nonetheless, I will often enough find myself at odds with him. We often have silent clashes where no one would know or find out. Debates on whether such books are to be thrown away or not.

There was no victor but I find myself feeling depressed afterwards.

But for all the animosity we shared together, never have I once thought that his claims were baseless.

And that is because he is mostly, _factually_ , right. Objectively speaking, books are tomes of knowledge passed down by others who have researched on this specific field. A valued resource where it was free for all.

But despite all of that, the both of us agreed on one thing. And that is that the free flow of information the internet is giving is, most often than not, a greater source of information. But, both of us agreed that finding accurate information is harder than it seems.

Still, I loathed this man. For he was not _wrong_. If there was times which he was wrong then he would amend for his mistakes. The type of guy who openly admits his mistakes.

But mostly, he would point out that said errors were also caused by the books he reads. Often, he would spot such mistakes and he would take it out on them.

And by them, I am referring to the books.

My views about him are close to that of a savage beast who tears down weaker prey. In my heart, I find that books have no faults. For it is the author's fault for making such mistakes in the first place!

Interestingly enough, what he is currently reading is a book guide about martial arts and how to handle spars correctly. You would be surprised by the number of people who actually borrow said book to improve either their training or club activities.

Honestly, I don't really understand why he would pick up the book at all. He isn't an expert on martial arts.

"If I have to compare this book with the other then… it is best used for those starting out. But!" He said with emphasis. "Most of the ones who borrow said books are in martial arts clubs or any sports related clubs. You seldom see others take interest in them."

I cannot refute him but I really want to smack the smug look he had on. In the end, this book is doomed to be recalled and get a refund. Of course, he fails to mention that the other books are too worn to use.

"We'll be using the money to get more copies of those, if that is what you are wondering."

Sometimes, I find myself wondering how this man is able to read my mind. Or am I just that obvious?

"It's _obvious_ ,"

Then stop reading my mind!

"Hehe," Sena laughed as I pouted. He knows that I don't like being teased but he does so anyway.

This would be the 5th time this month where we had to recall some books to get a refund. This guy has been coming by every few days evaluating all the new arrivals before placing them on our shelves.

Needless to say, the Student Council love him for it as it saves them the money for other projects they have to commit in.

I asked him if he liked the attention. For some reason he silently shook his head lost in thought. It was strange but I never asked about it nor did he clarify. I guess there are some things he isn't ready to say yet.

We spend our time like this. I would read the new arrivals and enjoy myself while this brute does the work of the library committee all on his own.

…it feels so wrong to have an outsider do our job.

The library committee looks up to him. Our president treats him really well despite being a guy and everyone else often flock to him to do their jobs for them.

I asked him once why he does said jobs. He told he gets paid by the hour and said, "'sides, I have nothing better to do."

Despite all of that, everyone pushed me to accompany him. Something about, getting along with a fellow classmate of the same year? I never really clarified as they push me to get along with him. Which we really aren't… much.

It took a while but Sena finished his side of this week's latest arrivals. He took note of the few books he deemed a need to return and recommended to buy new copies of the old ones in stock.

In the end, a few books will be leaving this library and I can't do anything to stop it.

Sena may not know this but every time I have to throw away a book… a bit of myself felt like crying. These books that no one else loves. I love with all my heart. And a piece of myself cries out in pain whenever I am forced to part with said books.

With nothing left to do Sena told me that he would come by the next day when he had time. I don't really know the reason why he keeps telling me this as I, if heaven allow it, don't want to see him ever again.

"See ya next time, Bookworm~" He teased as he left. I sent him an unsavory glare as we heads for the common room us librarians share to drop off his report.

I really loathe this guy.

I spent the rest of my day continuing to read before returning all the books I borrowed to the shelves and leave for the day. I felt that all my energy has been drained for the day.

At home, I continue to wander in my thoughts. How I wish to say what I want to say but couldn't most of the time. That I find myself powerless in a conversation and end up being awkward.

There was that one time I tried to communicate by writing an essay but… it just made things more awkward as I find myself holding on to stacks of paper with no one willing to read them.

Well, unless we exclude _him._ Sena once took the time to read my thoughts. A severely abridged one with only five pages worth of words pertaining to my recent issues.

Surprisingly, he took it well and a bond grew from that. Though it was a small bond it still felt like I accomplished something.

Sena commented that it was better if I voice my thoughts. I did try it once but I noticed midway that I was talking too fast for our conversation to make any sense.

Out of kindness, Sena manages to recall certain parts of our conversation but not all of them. And he even game his own opinion about certain topics that I chose.

With that we became… _friends?_ Sena never really derails the conversation when we talk but we often find ourselves in an awkward position once the conversation ends.

This was especially so when I wanted to talk about the books he was reading. He would often give simple answers while we both read. Sometimes he would even nod his head while listening to me but not by much.

I guess the only thing we share in common is that we get lost in what we are reading once we become engaged in them. It was a pleasant surprise once I did notice it.

I took the next few hours catching up on a few books I had on my shelf on my own room. I have a healthy amount of books to read and since there isn't much homework to do I decided to indulge myself.

And with that I find myself waking up on my desk with the sun shining on my face.

* * *

..

The walk to school was spent absentmindedly wandering in my thoughts again. There wasn't a need for me to go to the library today as I needed to work on my studies for a bit.

On my way to class where some of my classmates are already there doing their own thing. I notice a seat a few rows away from mine being occupied by a familiar sleeping face.

It was Sena.

I found out around a month ago that Sena was actually in my class. Of course once I noticed I quickly went up to him and glared.

Sena looked confused for a moment before he asked if I didn't really notice that he was literally my classmate.

My glare softened by just a bit but it was still there!

It made sense to me why my upperclassmen wanted to push me towards this boy. We are in the same year in the same class. Practically, we can see each other every day.

'Don't we already do just that?' You may ask but I would like to remind you that after classes I immediately head for the library to read. I never noticed him until that one time I was passing around the papers after our test were graded.

After a few minutes of absently staring down at him. Sena took notice and tiredly opened his eyes, a soft smile present on his face.

"Am I in heaven? 'Cause all I see is an Angel~"

The nerve! How could you flirt so early in the morning!?

"Morning bookworm~ Need something from me?" He asked with that charming smile. A look of friendly relief reflected on his eyes as I look down on him.

"Didn't… _get enough sleep?_ "

"Spent the night doing a lot of things. I slept at around ten at the evening before waking up at around five in the morning to do my morning rituals?" He lazily turns his head to look outside the window as gentle spring air enters the class.

"I got into class and found myself under the perfect conditions to seat back, relax, and close my eyes for a moment… you know~"

Sena silently yawns as he closes one eye still feeling a bit tired. For some reason, Sena acts differently while in class. When he is at the library, with me, I only see him take his task seriously. Like it was the only thing occupying his mind. Outside of his routine check-ups, no one really knows what he does.

Seeing him like this feels really out of place. A completely different person occupying the same body. A person I respect while at the same time loath from the bottom of my heart.

Speaking of which, Sena occupies one of the seats at the back of the class almost near the window. Someone occupies the seat to his left so he can't absentmindedly look outside as he pleased.

Even if he wanted to, he couldn't as someone else may mistake his unfocused gaze as something else…

"Stop that lecherous look, you pervert."

That it may be mistaken as sexual harassment by one another of our classmates.

However, this girl is someone else entirely. You can even say that, other than Sena, this person also is an anomaly in our class.

Or in this case, a girl who is practically a genius that common folk like myself can't relate to her.

"Fuse-san," I greeted with a slight bow of respect which she barely acknowledges.

"Fuse is being a short circuit again~ I guess that's one of the luxuries geniuses have."

Under the withering glare of the smartest girl in the grade, Sena indifferently jokes about her name like it was a common thing to do. Fuse-san didn't comment on that but I saw her raise her lips for the briefest of moments before returning to fixing her board.

"Do you want to play or not?" She asked as all the shogi pieces are in place.

"Fine but we only have a minute to make our move. That fine with you?" Sena asked as he got up from his seat and occupied the one in front of Aoba-san.

"It matters not, lowly one. I'll be taking another victory today." She said rather coldly. I felt sweat drop near my cheek but Sena chuckled at that.

"I'll let you have the first move,"

And with that the two set off in a bout of intelligent shogi playing.

You may ask yourself, 'Why are these two playing shogi?'

Well, the short answer would be is that this is a regular thing these two have on days when they are bored.

That's all of what I can grasp between them as Sena's smile turns excitedly predatory while Fuse-san had a look of mischief on hers.

I decided to ask them why they keep doing these games they do. Sena was the only one to answer while Fuse-san would give a nod to confirm or shook her head to deny any of his claims. This was a time when they were busy playing Old Maid.

Sena, during a certain afternoon earlier in the school year, decided to pester Fuse-san for something. He never clarified what it was or why. Abridging it in a way that made sense, Sena decided to annoy Fuse-san for her aloofness.

Of course, Fuse-san became annoyed and slapped him on the face. Undeterred, Sena challenges her to game of her choosing.

The game she picked… was tick-tack-toe… a game that even kids can play. Surprisingly, Sena won three times in a row which left Fuse-san furious.

He later told me, during our time reading that he let Fuse-san go first where he would always go for draws until he saw the opportunity to take control of the game.

Basically, he tricked and manipulated the flow of the game. The next two games were just her throwing his frustration at him.

From there the two would find themselves challenging the other to any contest they could think of. Be it mundane, practical, or challenging. They even set up rules they abide by whenever they fight.

There were only three rules and I only became aware of one of them when Fuse-san suggested doing contest of endurance. Sena shut her down and reminded her of rule number one.

Rule number one is that they would never do contest that may strain or cause harm to each other or anyone outside their little contest.

Since their contest happens only two or three times a week. The number of contest they can undertake came with significant preparation or on the fly improvisation.

Their contest became the talk of the school from time to time. How the two of them would challenge each other just to prove they are better at something.

It became so widespread that sometimes the teachers would even watch just to see how the game would go. While some students would bet with a small pool of money on who would win.

Sena, of course, would call for a draw when the contest was going nowhere and Fuse-san would agree.

Currently, Sena was winning their contest by a small margin. About three points, he would clarify when I asked. Fuse-san apparently, held an obsession of keeping tally of their scores.

That and I would notice from time to time the look of complete elation whenever she would claim victory.

It took them about twelve minutes before Sena gave up midway during the game. Sena gave Fuse-san a run for her money as he aggressively goes for the offensive. However, she solidly built up her defenses and Sena had no choice but to give up some of his units before he finally raised the flag.

"You win today, Fuse," Sena said as he raised his fist up.

"Just as planned," She said with a certain glow in her eyes. She ended up bumping fist with Sena which didn't look out of place for the two of them.

I guess Sena treats her as a friend now. Surprisingly, these two get along.

That was it for their contest for the day. Too bad only a few of our classmates get to see it but playing shogi takes patience and only a few are patient enough to see anyone play shogi.

The two put away the shogi board and returned to their seats satisfied for the day.

And the day went on with relative ease and nothing new to add.

Except that Sena was sleeping through class but that was a regular occurrence so no one paid any mind.

* * *

..

At the Library, Sena has come again to check out the new stock that just arrived. A few students are also here doing research or doing their homework.

"Don't… you… _have a club to attend to?_ "

Sena shook his head. A solemn look stretched across his face as he continues to read in relative silence.

The two of us spent our time like this every day of the week. Or at least I do as Sena would be busy with other things he needed to do.

It was during this time that I was reminded that Sena used to be a part of the _Enforcers._ I heard from my committee president that Sena had a lot of influence in school and even though he isn't a part of them anymore he still has a bit of leeway when talking to authority. A fact that my president would love to squeeze out for all its worth.

"Can I ask you something?" I finally asked without the usual stutter I had.

"Go ahead,"

"Why did you leave the Enforcers? Were you not satisfied of the work they made you do? Or were you planning to leave anyway and wanted to do something else? Is it true that you have connections with the student council or perhaps the chairman himself? Why do you keep coming here even though you have no obligation to the library or the school anymore? Don't you spend time doing something else? Also, what do you do during the time you were away-"

I continued to ask my series of questions before Sena's hand was raised to stop me. I blushed as I once again realized what I did and I became silent once again.

I just sat there my whole body shaking. Afraid of what would happen next. I closed my eyes and feel my heart racing-trembling in fear. I knew I shouldn't have but in! I knew I should have just kept my mouth-

"Don't be afraid, Shiomiya." I heard a voice so gentle that it made my shivering stop. My dark world suddenly felt very warm and I can feel the assurance in his words.

"…" Silently but slowly I look up to him. He was sitting there, hands occupied with the book he was reading but his eyes were staring at me.

I don't know what look that was he was giving me. It felt so foreign that it nearly scared me. A reassuring smile made it to his face and I found myself heaving a silent sigh.

"It was the first time you talk to me," He said once again with clarity. I nodded my head as he continued. "You normally don't talk much. So hearing you ask so many questions like an excited kid surprised me."

Was I talking like that? I didn't realize and thought that it was normal. A moment of silence reigned as none of us continued the conversation.

I didn't know what to do and Sena may have picked up on that as he decided to answer my questions instead.

"I didn't leave the Enforcers," He started, a look of hurt leaked from his voice but his eyes were as cold as steel. "I was retired."

Not knowing how to react to that, Sena continued with giving me answers.

"Most of the work I do is usually paper work. There was the occasional patrol or the coordination of the other committees for routine inspection. Fights, or a lick of trouble however, is handled by yours truly."

A feral smile spread across his face as I unconsciously shivered.

"So yes, I was satisfied with my work." He said finally with a look of nostalgia.

It felt foreign to me how he considers his duties like it was his life's work. But some part of me, a deeper side of me, understood him in that part completely.

I recognized that without our passions for something we love… will there be anything else that would keep us going? Our lives becoming dull without really feeling like we belong to something.

Seeing Sena's eyes, I can tell that he lost the passion he once had. Worse, I couldn't even pity him for it. For I have not been on the same situation he was in.

"I wasn't planning to leave but I had to." He continued and I had to listen closely as I thought I heard him choke or stammer. "I do have connections with the student council. A part of the responsibilities of the Enforcers was to report to them by the end of the week. As for the chairman… I'll leave that to your imagination."

A small but silent smile was on his face but he was already looking away from me. I guess I poke at a sore spot of his heart.

"The reason why I come here? Well, I have nothing better to do so I just come here to read books. Of course, inspecting them was pushed onto me 'cause none of the committee members inspect the books. No offense by the way,"

I shook my head. I can understand why the others wouldn't do such a menial job but that would say something about Sena. He has the perseverance to spot any errors or mistakes the books have. To suggest to return it or throw it away when the standards of our school weren't met.

Of course, that was the reason I loathed him. But at the same time, I respected him for his work. I couldn't deny him that even if I tried.

"I do have a life outside of… well… this(?). But most of the time I just do errands." He clarified at the end, to my surprise. "I get paid to do some things or I get extra credit from faculty. So I spend most of my time doing that. Outside of that is the usual part-time job I am handling too."

That was surprising. I didn't think he had a part-time job on top of all the things he is doing up till now.

"You live… an interesting life…" I was barely able to say that but it ended up only being a whisper.

"Thanks," I turned to him and his smile returned this time. The look on his eyes was filled with joy. "Hearing that from you means a lot more than you think."

Without clarifying what he meant. We spent the rest of our meetings doing the same thing. But something changed that day, for the both of us and I no longer find his presence unpleasant.

* * *

..

Barely a week passed by with nothing out of the ordinary really happening. Today we are having a meeting about what to do with our new funds which we accumulated, with the help of Sena.

During our last meeting, _we_ decided to invest on including a CD and DVD section in the library. Right now, we are deciding how we are supposed to go with that.

"We have the CDs and DVDs on storage now and the players to go along with it but we don't have the necessary space to put it in." The chairman declared as everyone listened to the meeting.

"I decided to ask for the advice of the student council and they gave me two options to choose from." She said as she move to the chalk board behind her and began writing.

"Our first option is to cram the booth in with the media section of the library… but the problem with that is we don't have the time to move it all in there. That and we need to renovate the whole area just to fit the entirety of the CD and DVD section."

I don't have a problem with doing that but the rest of the members in these meeting have mixed expressions on their faces. Some of them look annoyed while some have troubled looks on. I have no idea what is going on in their heads.

"Or," She continued ignoring everyone's reaction to the first option. "We can move out a few books to have space for the _new_ resources."

I unconsciously stood up, earning the interest of the rest of the committee.

"Yes, Shiori-chan? Is there something you want to add?" The chairman asked calmly as I try to think of what to say.

My thoughts were jumbled as I was currently processing the idea of having to throw out books from the library. This already happened once but those were the unusable ones. We can't throw the rest out just to have a new booth installed!

"…" Is what I wanted to say but no words would come out.

Completely flustered, I had no choice but to return to my seat and do nothing as the rest decided to vote.

Inevitably, everyone agreed with the second option and everyone was dismissed.

I hated myself. I hated myself for being like this. For not being able to say what I want and only ending up not talking at all.

I don't like it. I never wanted to be this powerless in conversations. But this time, my lack of self-confidence has come to bite me in the back.

The past returns to me once again. During my childhood, at a time where I tried to communicate more. To get out of my own bubble.

But my shyness was mistaken for something else and this earned me the ire of certain girls back then.

My experience with that only made things worse as I tried to bond with someone over a subject we can relate to. However, the means I tried to communicate only made things awkward.

Looking back, it should have been obvious that writing a hundred page paper about the television series we liked was not the best of ideas I had in the time.

This further ostracized me from everyone and I was left to find comport with the only source of happiness I found.

Books. Books that do not judge you and accept you for who you are. My only solace and comfort in the world I was in. That I was alone in. Thanks to these words of text that I continue to read every day made the pain of being alone that much bearable.

Often times, I would hear how I was a weird and strange girl from not only my classmates but also from the teachers. I ignored them and spent my time imagining myself in the world where the books reside.

A fantasy world with dragons and magic. A science fiction setting with lasers and spacecraft on outer space. Or, on the occasion, an adventure on our own world. Of places I wish could see with my own eyes but couldn't.

Such books held a special space in my heart. And because of that, I would do anything to make these books safe.

But again, because of my lack of courage, I have failed them once again. And now, this pain, this old pain resurfacing is threatening to tear me apart.

I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…

I-I wish I was stronger. I wish I can finally say what I wanted to say out loud!

But I can't! I don't have the courage to! In the end I am just afraid of being shunned again. To be left out. I don't want that anymore.

I… I want to be able to talk like everyone else…

But… that is never going to happen the way I am now.

So… I decided to have someone do it for me in my stead.

"…" The usual routine with Sena; complete silence. If what they said about him is true then this boy will certainly help me.

"Is something on my face? You've been staring intently for a while now."

Sena closed the book he was reading and turned to address me. This was my chance. On my hand is a pamphlet detailing about the new booth to install next week in the library. All I have to do is tell him and hope that he will understand.

"I…" I tried to say but once again I froze on the spot. The fear once again laying claim to my heart.

Sena didn't move his eyes away as he waited patiently. We sat there in silence for a good ten minutes but Sena didn't drop his gaze from me. Of course, this didn't help me. As I couldn't say anything under his intense gaze.

That's when he closed his eyes. At that instant, I felt a sudden calm on the horizon. I blinked, the fear disappearing like it wasn't there in the first place.

Taking this chance, I finally told him what I wanted to say.

"I want you to help me," Sena didn't open his eyes but I can tell the slight nod of his head told me to continue. "They-We, are installing a new booth."

"So I heard," He said without really looking at me. Keeping his eyes closed. Strangely, it felt reassuring that he was this considerate of me. "Aren't you happy?"

"No… I'm not." I admitted, surprised I actually said it out loud or as loud as I know I can be. "They want to remove a section of books to make room for the booth."

Sena finally opened his eyes but this time I can tell that no more fear creeps around the corners of my mind. He listened patiently for me. And I… I wish I can do more for him. To let him know that I appreciated him.

Sadly, I don't have anything I could give. Maybe one day, I can do something for him like he did for me. I'll keep that on my notes on my smartphone.

"What do you want to do?" He asked as he turns to look at me once again. I can almost feel the security and gentleness of his voice. I slightly shook my head before I could give an answer.

"I want to stop that. I want to keep the books here even if only a few of us read them." I know I am being unreasonable but I think that this is worth fighting for. "I know I am going against my peers for books but-"

"I understand," He said as he stood up from his seat across from me. "The look on your eyes. I can tell you have resolved to do something about this."

I nod but something felt wrong. A nagging feeling at the back of my mind telling me that direction I was heading wasn't the right path.

Sena went closer to me and took a seat right next to me. At first, I wanted to move away but I told myself to stay. I need his help and I have already went this far.

 _There is no turning back now…_

I heard the whispers from the corners of my thoughts.

I decided to try and raise a complaint with the committee. Something I don't usually do but it was a start. Sena supported me with this decision but he has other plans. It may take him some time, as he told me, but if he can get a few signatures from a number of our students then we can reverse the decision of the committee.

"If need be, I can even have the student council involve. They can't ignore the overwhelming number of students who don't want a section of the books they love missing."

This is the first time I heard of this. There were others who also feel the same way as me? Somehow, it feels reassuring that I am not alone in this.

"Go ahead and launch a complaint. I'll go ahead and round up a few students."

We only have until the end of the week before the committee goes ahead with their plan. That would be this Saturday, two days before they take action. I have literally have forty-eight hours to make things happen. I won't let Sena's help go to waste.

* * *

..

Or so I told myself but something happened.

"We'll be moving the books out on Friday," The president told me after I came early to send a complaint letter to them.

"Some of our members won't be available on Saturday so we'll be working tomorrow to move the books out." She smiled but all I can see is my whole world crumbling before me. "I hope to see you tomorrow, Shiori-chan~"

The cold hard reality hits me like a train coming to the station and flashing cold water on a rainy day. That time was almost up. That I only had less than twenty-four hours to overturn the decision of the Library Committee.

As this reality sinks in, the letter on my hands falls to the ground forgotten as a single thought enters my head. " _What should I do?_ "

To be continued…

* * *

 **Author's Note: I should let you guys know that my situation isn't the best right now. I won't give the specifics as this involves family so you know how it is.**

 **On a more important note to you guys, I am sorry it took this long to literally write a chapter for Shiori. I underestimated her character too much and wasn't prepared on how to interact with her. She literally is the embodiment of shyness. In manga form, it can be written off as good work but like this it feels really weird.**

 **I was cycling through ideas most of the time while I was writing this. I had a total of ten rewrites, reached five writer's blocks, and scrapped at least two or three scenarios on the original manuscript before I settled for this one.**

 **I'll also let you guys know ahead of time that Shiori will have the shortest arc in this whole series. Well, it doesn't mean you won't see her often.**

 **I believe we said this before, with my Co-Author Chief that scenarios would be different. In this case, the timeline is different. Or literally, the scenario of events.**

 **Real-time, Keima has a set of girls he captures right? Well, we originally had this idea pitched that we would use the time, on this case the days and weeks that make up the original story, as a plot device.**

 **In this case, the scenarios of each girl Keima meets… or how I plan to make it flow will change. Now here's a bit of a spoiler for all of you fans out there. Which girl so far hasn't made an appearance from the original girls?**

 **There you have it. I won't spoil much as I already told one of you my plans for this story. I plan to make it come to light and then from there I would like to hear feedback. Also I'll do a poll soon asking which girls you want to see next. The girls not on the poll are already have a fixed position on the story so you will meet them too.**

 **Hope you guys like this chapter so far. The next one will be completely unexpected from everything so far. So please have the patience to read it through!**

 **Love,**

 **Alewar Warinot.**

 **P.S.**

 **I am not dead.**


	7. The World a Librarian Only Knows Flg 3-3

_It was getting late. The sun was nearly setting but I find myself continue on walking. While others are on their way to return to their homes or get to their jobs… I find myself heading to the one place I often visited during my childhood._

 _The Grand Archive._

 _This place was once said to be the greatest library of human kind. It held all their history, inventions, and achievements on the very shelves they sat upon._

 _Many would flock to learn about the human race… but now._

" _Welcome," An old husky voice said as I went through the doors._

"…" _I turned to the man without giving any reply._

 _It was a man who almost looked my age but had a rough complexion. His hands held unto a book he was currently reading with a pair of glasses on._

 _I took notice to his hands. They have a lot of callouses for a librarian and I don't know why. It reminded me of the time I was still training for the United Space Force. And that was a long time ago._

" _This place looks clean," I silently remarked as the place hasn't changed much unless you ignore the high-tech improvements given to the place._

" _I keep it clean." The man replied without looking away from his book. There was a sense of power behind his words but I held down the feeling of being intimidated. "No fool ever sets foot here but I keep it presentable for the kids,"_

 _He wasn't kidding about there being kids here. The place may appear old to the newer generation but to some of them who aren't blessed with funds this place is a treasure haul of great wonder and mysteries._

" _Do you know why I am here?" I asked as I reached for the backside of my pocket, secretly arming myself with my standard plasma handgun._

" _Yes," He said curtly but ignored any sense of danger around him. "My answers still no."_

 _At this point in time, this man who held his stance to protect The Grand Archive all those years ago still serves his purpose to this day._

 _On any other occasion, such actions deserve an honorary celebration of a job well done. But, in this case, the government has decided to spit on his face._

" _I have come to tell you that your services are no longer required." I said as I finally showed him a device revealing orders of vacation. "This place has been deemed obsolete."_

" _Hah," The man laugh and I felt a cold chill go down my spine as he snaps the book he held with his hands shut. The angry snap vibrated around us as I focused my attention on him._

" _Back in my day, they also said that our own home world has become obsolete." I felt a strong sense of fear as his own cold and weary brown eyes stared into mine. "They destroyed what was left of it and took the moon too. Colonized Mars next and set the moons out but where did that got them?"_

 _He stood up and I noticed he was just a few inches taller than I was._

" _So tell me lass," He took out an old wooden pipe. Analyzing the object told me that it was used throughout the years as it burned a mixture of smoking remedies. "What does the government want to take away from this Archive that they would call it…_ obsolete _?"_

 _I remember how I first have gotten these orders. I just returned after a long and hard five year war with an enemy colony occupying the same quadrant of space we have colonized._

 _All those years I have spent fighting for what was ours earned me the right to return home and stay as one of their public general affairs officer._

 _Originally, I was ecstatic to learn I could finally go home. Years of attrition with the enemy has worn down all of my lost youth and some have mistaken me for looking thirty when I was just twenty-three._

 _But when I did get home, something changed. I don't know what but all of the people I knew who were running our community were replaced by a younger generation of delegates who spent their lives living the best of what our generation has built on._

 _I really hated those guys. They were a bunch of pretentious pricks. And because of them the community became divided as a result._

 _However, as the whole of our home became separated by our own borders… there was one place that held their doors open for all._

 _The Grand Archive shook the world when this man in front of me declared his neutrality on our hostile home. Of course, both sides answered back with violence but the man returned all the drones they have sent to pieces._

 _The day we received an anonymous package left behind on our own office sent everyone to disarray. And after someone went was dispatched to check on them it left a lasting impression on every single one of us._

 _Each and every drone, dismantled to pieces and turned into compact steel cubes. A note was left which read: "Next time, send someone human. Don't expect a bunch of bucket of bolts to do your job for you."_

 _Leaving aside that he singlehandedly destroyed drones from both sides of this conflict, the fact that he can have them delivered back reminded all of us that said man was an old veteran from a past war we barely won over._

 _And now they have sent me, Special Agent SH-10-R-1, to take care of this place._

 _However, this man, I can tell. He has seen war, has seen far more death than even I care to admit I have seen._

 _This leaves the question… why is he here? If he is truly the best of a generation long past… why does he guard this place like his life depended on it?_

" _The look in your eyes, I can tell." He spoke once again after taking a few puffs of his pipe. Smoke left his nostril and mouth as he spoke. "Those are the eyes who have killed a man."_

 _I answered him by giving a strong glare of my own. He barely even flinched before taking another whiff of his pipe._

" _Touched a nerve now? This generation is too innocent for my taste. Not enough blood spilled before they had the nerve to declare to the world how great they are."_

" _Those kids… they have never worked hard a day in their life. Have never risked their lives nor worked hard to get to where they want. A bunch of spoiled rotten kids,"_

 _He deposited the remains of his pipe onto a trash dispenser next to him before putting the pipe away._

" _Tell me, child." He said finally before all the air left me as a sense of dread filled every fiber of my body. "What makes you think that you will walk out of here in one piece? That you will destroy this humble home for all the generations before you?"_

" _What right do you have to take these all away?"_

* * *

 _.._

I blinked my eyes as I finished all the way to this part. I turned to the shy girl beside me as she continues to write on a piece of paper frantically.

This girl, Shiori Shiomiya as I have come to learn yesterday, is currently writing a story while the two of us bunker down on the fortified wall of books she built around us.

If anyone would have seen this, they would have looked on in surprise and maybe a bit of ire for using books like some makeshift pillow fort.

However, the reality is that only the two of us are here. Shiori has decided to lockdown the entire library keeping anyone from entering while also bunkering down on a fort made of books while writing a story.

No matter which way I looked at it. I have once again found myself involved in a troublesome situation.

 **The World a Librarian Only Knows**

 **Flag 3-3: "My Story: Built Upon The Foundation Of Books"**

I recall how I got myself into this situation. It wasn't long ago when I was coerced into helping this girl out. Rather forceful of him, I might add, but effective as I was here doing as he requested.

I learned from Sena that the library committee plans to toss away a few books to make way for a new studio that was on hold till now. Because of the efforts of one particular boy, the budget needed to further reach their goal was met and now these two, Shiori and Sena, are at odds with the whole committee.

Of course, Sena only told Shiori that I was going to help her out. Note that I only needed to help _her._ Not him. Sena came to me when we left the library, he told me that he will handle everything tomorrow and that Shiori will most likely stall for time.

It was a guess well-founded as said girl did stall for time… in the most extreme way possible. Who the hell locks themselves up inside the library and hope to stop the committee's plans that way!? Oh yeah, _her._ Seriously this girl loves books than her own life and I just met her _yesterday!_

This was thirty minutes ago. Around the time after classes have ended when I came here earlier than usual just to get this over with. That was when I heard the doors being slammed shut.

Of course, the committee were furious and banged on the door nonstop. When Sena heard of what she did he immediately contacted me. I opened my e-mail through my PFP and read his message, demanding what was going on inside and if we were safe.

Apparently, everyone outside thought that someone outside our school has entered our library and triggered an emergency lockdown; trapping the two of us inside along with whoever caused it.

It was far from the truth.

It took me a good ten minutes to explain what was going on and I had to reassure him that we were not in any danger. He didn't give a reply right away as I decided to ask how things were on his end.

" _Not good, everyone is furious and don't know what to do. I think they are planning to involve the teachers but I told them not to involve the faculty just yet._ "

Sena never clarified what he meant and everything went cold from there. Bored out of my mind, I decided to continue playing my games. It was a good use of my time until I noticed papers being stacked up around me like hills.

I turned and found the girl absentmindedly writing on a sheet of paper completely ignoring me.

Oh yeah. I forgot to mention that this girl decided to allow me into her fort. At first I was confused but she insisted anyway. I have no idea why I even agreed to sit next to her but this apparently calmed her somewhat tense body.

I decided to read one of them and, to my surprise, found myself reading a sci-fi story about a distant future of war, internal wars, and wars of ideals.

Intrigued by such a tale I decided to read it. A good ten minutes of my life was used to finally get to the point where I am and so far I can see who she is projecting to.

Apparently, this _younger generation replacing the previous generation_ is alluding to the books being replaced by the new booth.

The man protecting the archive is a projection of a mixture of me, Sena, and Shiori all together. However, that wasn't all as the girl in the middle of this is also Shiori.

As I continued to read I can tell that she is having an internal conflict. She is divided by her desires and her duties as a member of this library and this is reflected by the fears she had when confronting the man.

I put the paper down as I looked at her. Her hand hovering over a sheet of paper but hovering still. It was a sign that she had reached a block. A writer's block as they called it when someone reached a point where wrote what they originally wanted but don't know how to go from there.

At this moment, a message made its way into my earphone as I turn my gaze from her to my handheld device.

" _I talked things out with everyone on this side. How is Shiori?_ " It read as I went to reply immediately.

" _Not good. She has gotten silent and has been frantically writing a story on a piece of paper. Took my eyes off of her for a few minutes and I am already ankle deep on papers._ "

Another notification entered my ears as I once again read his message.

" _That's not good. She is getting anxious about what she did._ "

Another message entered right after.

" _Look, I know I am asking for much but can you do me another favor?_ "

I asked for what he wanted. I was already here so I will at least hear him out.

" _Can you get her to open the doors on her own?_ "

I looked on in silence as I stared into the bright lights of my portable. That was when I heard a small gasp right beside me. When I turned I knew who it was but tears were already falling from her eyes.

Shiori is crying.

"You okay?" I asked silently as I put my handheld away.

But she turned away and stubbornly held her knees to her chest as she silently cried.

Not knowing what to do, I decided to give my response to the boy outside these door.

" _I messed up. Shiori saw the message and now she is crying._ "

A moment later and I received a new message followed by a few others.

" _Dang it! Why is my luck so terrible at such crucial moments!?_ "

" _Katsuragi, I am sorry but can you do your thing like with what you did with Kanon-chan?_ "

" _I know this might seem unreasonable but I will let you know that everything is fine. I managed to convince everyone here that a few of the students, both from our own and the college building, don't want books thrown out of the library. I have a petition ready and I showed it to them and they agreed to change their plans!_ "

" _But if Shiori-chan doesn't open the doors then the committee will have no choice but force their way in! This might also reach the faculty and if it does then it will be bad!_ "

" _Do what you need to do! I'll give you time to calm her down and convince her to open the door. If I can't reach her now then maybe you can! Please, I seriously ruined this very badly so try and calm her down._ "

That's a tall order and you know it. The girl is still crying and you expect me to fix all this!? I'm no miracle man!

It is so frustrating but I know I can't leave. I got here early and waited for everyone to come when Shiori decided to put the place on lockdown.

And now the girl beside me is silently crying her eyes out thinking she was betrayed.

" _Give me all the time I need. This isn't going to be easy,_ " I decided to reply before everything became silent once again.

It took a good five minutes before I decided to try and talk to Shiori. It ended up as well as I thought it would. She refused to talk to me and I had to sit there completely frustrated.

I took a deep breath and decided to take a different approach. I decided to continue reading the story… but this time I will say it out loud. See if she will give me a response.

"' _What right do you have to take these all away…' was it?" I heard the girl say beside me as I decided to barricade all the entrances of the doors and all the windows locked shut with stainless steel locks._

" _Aye lass?" I decided to humor her despite the fact I am injured everywhere and the enemy is right outside the door planning to tear the door down at any second._

What is this? Isn't this story far ahead from the one I am reading?

"Why… did you say it like that back then?"

For a moment I stopped. I turned to the girl beside me but stopped midway. This was good so I decided to continue.

"Lass, how do you think knowledge spread during my time?"

"By paper… I presume?" I could barely hear her voice but it was better than complete silence.

"Aye, this true lass. All knowledge spread through paper. In our time, it is the best resource to spread knowledge around… but did you know that this wasn't widespread at first?"

"What?"

It feels like she is becoming a bit more vocal.

"At the time, only those fortunate enough to buy books have the power to acquire knowledge. A book of fine paper was worth its weight in gold."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Lass," I had to cough a bit as I was not used to talking this long. "If I let this place burn… won't those less fortunate than us lose their ability to acquire knowledge?"

"…" Her silence is actually within the story so I continued.

"If we allow them to take away books… would they stop there?" I paused to deepen the drama of the situation. "Won't they take your fancy gadgets next? How about your access? Would they block areas they deem inappropriate for them? Would they also take away your ability to communicate long distances?"

"I… don't think they would go that far,"

At this point, the story stopped. This was the moment where Shiori hit a writer's block. This was the time where she was having second thoughts. When she read the message Sena gave to me.

Should I improvise?

"Who knows?" I continued nonchalantly grabbing my imaginary pipe and doing the motion for lighting it. "But I do think that taking this place away from everyone is a bad thing."

Shiori looked at me as I leaned my back on a pillar of books imitating the character the best I can. Hopefully, she will take the bait and continue with this.

"…" She was silent, almost hesitant to give a reply. I was about to drop the act when she took a deep breath and continued.

"Can you share that with me?" She asked as I raise my eyebrow. I think she was talking about my imaginary pipe so I decided to shrug my shoulders and give it to her.

"Careful lass, this is powerful stuff." I continue on thinking of the mixture as some sort of strong medical concoction.

Surprisingly, she cough a bit as she took a few puffs.

"Take a big drag… then exhale very slowly," I advised but I wasn't sure how they do it really.

A few moments later she returned my imaginary pipe. I wiped the mouthpiece a bit before taking a whiff myself.

"I… I am sad if they take these books away," She finally said. I didn't turn to her so that she can continue.

"I… spent my life reading books. They are my longest companions… and my greatest friend."

"That's surprising," I commented as I removed my imaginary pipe from my mouth. I blew imaginary smoke away from us.

"Yes… I think that books are my whole world. That they are the only things I need in my life…"

Why do those words feel familiar… wasn't this the same way I thought of my games too…?

"That's actually sad," I told her honestly not caring if I am breaking character. "Even if I look like this… all alone in my own world… I have people I can get along with,"

Honestly, I could say that I get along with them. Ayumi, Kanon, and maybe even Joy if I stretch it enough. Though I know games are all that I need… I think having someone to talk to isn't bad.

"You have such people?" She asked as I turned to see her reddened eyes. "Is it nice?"

"It is," I nodded as I adjust my position slightly to keep this conversation going. "Though there were times I think they were annoying… it wasn't really bad."

A moment of silence took over as I contemplated my response earlier. My time spent with Nurse Joy was mostly me complaining about Kanon. Though it was also spent with a bit of teasing on her part I think my time spent with her wasn't bad.

Kanon wasn't my greatest experience so far. But, the time we shared wasn't all bad. There were times where I find her persistence endearing. Her attitude for reaching new heights is worthy of my interest. As I too wish to reach my own goals.

Finally, there is Ayumi. Though I think our strange relationship started out of nowhere I didn't once felt that it was strange. She would always find me and drag me to lunch with her friends. Her fanbase is annoying but I don't feel threatened by them.

All three of them… I can tell that my time spent with them has been an experience.

And this experience… she has none of it. All her life she has surrounded it in books. I would even bet that she joined the committee just to avoid the most contact.

If so… then should I help her out? I think someone else has already reached her heart, while I am just here to watch over her.

I think I am getting too deep into this. I think it isn't right that I am the one who is involved in her story.

Like the man who stubbornly protects the books of this library. It needs three people to work together to reach that goal.

Right now… I am such a person. I am filling the role given to me by the one who is concerned for her.

Sena… what was he thinking when he asked for my help? Isn't it better if he did this by himself…?

No, that isn't possible. Even I had times where I think having someone beside me is a lot better than doing things alone.

However, no matter what I do… I don't think I can reach her. I am so far away from her heart that I had to squint my eyes to even see my place in all of this.

It is obvious that this girl thinks highly of Sena… but I get the feeling that they are incompatible. I think this is a good opportunity to know what she thinks of him.

"Hey," I called out as I turned to Shiori. "What is your relationship with Sena exactly?"

It was silent for a moment but the girl decided to speak.

"I… loathe him,"

That was an answer I wasn't expecting.

"He… returned books we didn't need… kept the ones that were alright."

It is starting to feel like these two are more like enemies than friends. But why did Sena decided to help her? Why would he risk taking on the Library Committee?

I don't get him and that is what bugs me. He is acting like an ideal. A good boy who helps out anyone who ask. And I find the idea stupid. Because there is no ideal human in this world.

What makes this boy occupy so much of her thoughts then?

"But he… helps," There was a hint of a smile on her face for a split second. "Everyone looks up to him like a dependable brother…"

"I… I guess…"

I looked into her eyes as she stared back up at me.

"I was drawn to him… he was so reliable that I ended up looking up to him," There was a sparkle in her eyes that surprised me. "A person who I thought I could reach but…"

Tears once again fill her eyes.

"I guess… even he cannot do everything on his own,"

She didn't speak after that. I guess it came as a shock to her that Sena wanted her to open the door.

Whatever bond they had now was being tested. She clearly has low self-esteem and cannot truly stand up for herself.

At a time like this… I am reminded of that Nurse who kept me annoyed all the time. How I was always able to meet her and end up talking to her to pass the time.

If there is one thing she thought me all this time… then it is that girls are complicated.

However, I can see who they are and how they would act. Ayumi had signs of self-doubt and Kanon had an innate fear of being invisible to others.

Shiori, couldn't speak to save her life. She is unable to speak clearly to anyone due to an ill-perceived notion of being hated. I need to break that part of her.

I need to have her realize that it isn't true. That she has friends on her side who would listen to her.

And if all else fails?

…I will not fail. I am the God of Conquest. There is no girl who I haven't save to this day. Whether game or _real_ , I will successfully reach the ending.

"Shiori," I called which caused her to look at me in surprise. "I don't think that guy is all he is. I think that he is more or less than what you perceive him to be,"

Shiori looked at me and I can feel a deep contemplation deep in her eyes. A thick fog is visible for me to see. A number of thoughts running through her mind at the speed of thought.

"But," I say clearly as to catch her attention. "There is one thing I do know about him. And that is that he kept his promise to you,"

"…what?" She asked almost surprised that she said that out loud. I can already feel a smile making its way to my face.

"Sena told me that he has everything under control…" I contemplated whether this is a good time to tell her but I decided to wing it. "Things are fine, surprisingly. This is actually more than I could expect."

Shiori is once again stuck on her own thoughts but I snapped my fingers to get her attention.

"Listen girl," I called out rudely but she didn't seem to mind. "Sena may have saved the day with what he did but…"

I took a pause as I look into her eyes. I want to know how she would react to being attacked directly.

"Will you keep bothering him for help at this rate?"

Her eyes widened. I can see her mouth quiver but no words would come out. Silent tears begin to come but she wipes them away just as quickly.

I never looked away from her during all this time. She begins to notice this a bit and blushes a little but I kept on giving her a stern stare. She paused for a second and tried to look away but I shook my head at her, telling her not to look away.

"Sena did as you requested. I think he did it out of the goodness of his heart but I think otherwise." I clear my throat as she desperately wanted to look away from me. "He did this cause you asked him to. He was doing this out of an obligation I have no idea of knowing."

"H-he… did…?" She asked afraid but I shook my head. I couldn't really give a concrete answer.

"This is only my conjecture. I have no concrete proof. But, to be honest, I don't like that he stepped up to help you."

The cold truth slapped her across the face. I can see her stinging at my words but I continued.

"I get it, you needed help but do you truly need to ask him?" I continued my assault. "You knew you had the power to reverse the decision of your fellow members but- _instead_ , you went to the one man who you think is _dependable!_ "

"Sh…" She tried to say but I only spoke up louder.

"He did what he could for you but that doesn't mean you will have to trouble him for it! Now, because of you, he is in deep trouble!"

"Shut-what?" She looked at me in surprise. She has no idea how deep we are in trouble doesn't she?

"Yes," I told her as I confirmed her fears. "You locked away everyone from entering the library. Committee members, visitors… and especially him."

This time, I knew something inside of her broke. The look in her eyes is too painful to look at but I push on. This is for her sake and I don't plan to back down. Even if I end up becoming the villain this girl needs to reach the ending.

"See where your selfishness led you?" I told her not once mincing my words. "You have landed all of us into hot water."

"…" She tried saying but I couldn't catch that.

"What?" I said.

"Sh…" I can hear her a little better.

"What is it? Speak up will you?"

"I SAID SHUT UP YOU BIG IDIOT! MEANIE! I HATE YOU!"

..

I hid a smile. She finally spoke what is on her mind.

"I'm sorry," I said with all the slyness of a bastard villain. "Would you like to clarify that?"

"No! I don't want to! I have had enough of this!" She continued to screech but with a more bearable, if only soft, voice instead.

"I spent my whole life having books as my only companions! There were barely anyone who talked to me and those who did only tolerate me because I am part of the committee!"

She continued to berate me but all I can do is sit there in silence.

"I am so sorry that I caused all of you trouble but what was I supposed to do!? I couldn't speak up to them no matter how much courage I tried to muster!"

The frustration made her cry but she continued to speak out her mind.

"I am not like you! I am not like Sena! I am just me! I am shy! I can't start a conversation properly! And I always end up saying what I feel rather than what I think!"

She paused catching a breath as she once again takes a seat on a pile of books surrounding us. The fort has collapsed during the middle of her rant that I had to move my seat slightly to avoid the heavy books from hitting me.

"What do you want me to do…?" She finally said, hot steamy tears racing down her face as she covered her eyes with a sleeve. "What can I do to fix this?"

..

I looked on in silence. I was tempted to give her the answer but instead I chose to remain silent. She has finally exhausted; all the stress she felt is released and she is now contemplating on what to do.

All she needs now… is a little push at the right direction.

"You already know the answer to that question." I told her and I can see her glare at me slightly behind her sleeve. "I know you know it. Do you even want me to say it to you?"

"No…" She said finally as she sat up, wiping away the tears from her eyes for the umpteenth time today. "But I don't know what to say to them."

"Do you need to think?" I asked her silently as she turned once again to look at me. "Didn't you say what you really felt about all of this not a minute ago?"

"That's different!" She said clearly, her voice a bit hoarse for not being used all that much. "They are the committee! My companions! I betrayed their trust and you expect me to walk up to them and apologize?"

I stood up from my seat as I finally wipe my glasses. "Sometimes… a word of apology is enough to settle a dispute."

"How do you know that?" She asked confused. I guess my reputation hasn't reached her ears then.

"'Cause I once faced the same problem." In a game. I said to myself silently. "Listen to me Shiori, who do you trust most?"

"Books," She answered matter-of-factly, I almost laughed at her answer but it was acceptable.

"Good. Tell me, do any of the books say that saying sorry is bad at this situation we are in?"

Shiori had this look on her that I can't really pinpoint. It was as if she is recalling every single book she read through her life looking for an answer.

"No," She answered honestly. "In fact, all the books I read encouraged forgiveness and acceptance."

I didn't say much as I put my glasses back on.

"Do I even need to say more?" I asked rhetorically. "If books are the only things you trust then that's fine. But you need to know one thing about books."

She looked at me daringly. As if telling me to say something which she probably already knows. I smirked at her. Of course I would! I am not letting this girl off so easily!

"Books are made by human hands," I told her as she stared at me dumbly. "Think about it, the stories you read, the advice you received… don't they all come from one source?"

"Yes… but what has that got to do with this? With anything?"

I couldn't help but helplessly shake my head in disbelief. This girl is really a lot of trouble and I am surprised I have even made progress with her at all.

"It just means that you need to give them a chance." I told her readily as she looked up from the books on the floor. "If books are the only ones you trust then… why don't you put that trust in them? In all of us?"

She looked surprise as I said that. "You put your trust on Sena… didn't you?"

She gave me a nod as I put forth my hand. "Then do so with everyone else!"

There was that feeling again. The feeling of something powerful flowing around us that I felt whenever I was getting close to the ending.

"But I am afraid! I-" She faltered slightly as she looked down once again. "I don't have the courage-"

"Then let me give you courage!" I shouted to her as I took her free hand and raised her up. I miscalculated; whether by my strength or her lightness, I don't know as at the last second I caused the both of us to trip.

A number of papers flew up and spread around us as I felt my lips grow warm with each second. I widen my eyes as I realize that the two of us are kissing. Shiori looked at me in surprise but didn't pull away and I felt the heavy feeling around us disappearing completely.

"…" The two of us parted after a few seconds. Both of us red on the face with embarrassment but hopefully she couldn't see my face. I noticed for the first time that the lights were suddenly turned off during the whole kiss.

"If…" I called out despite my embarrassment. "If you think that you cannot say a word… then think of me… and think of Sena…"

"…" She was silent and I didn't dare look at her anymore.

"The courage you displayed to stand up for yourself. Burn it into your mind… because the two of us are certainly listening."

* * *

..

Outside the library.

Everyone was getting anxious now. Sena, in the end, told them what was going on. He caved and gave in to their demands. Everyone was shocked at first but had a look of understanding shared between them.

During all of this, someone cut the power from the library. This would have automatically reset the password for the door but, to their surprise, they didn't have to.

By the door was the one girl who started this all. And by her side was the one who kept her company. No one really paid the boy mind as Shiori stepped forward and asked everyone to listen to her.

Sena looked at the entire scene in surprise. In just a short time, Shiori is talking with everyone about her thoughts about the new booth and how she didn't want to throw away the books to make room for them.

The whole committee looked at each other with understanding as they listened to her concerns. For a brief moment, Sena noticed that Shiori was staring at him intently. Confused for but a second, she finally told everyone what she should have said much, much earlier.

"I am sorry for inconveniencing everyone!"

That day was full of surprises. No one was more shocked than the president of the committee. As for as long as she had known Shiori, this was the first time she could hear her voice clearly.

Most of them were surprised but the most vocal about it was still the president. Sena wasn't sure how to approach this but decided to step forward.

"President, here. Don't worry about the Student Council, they will understand." He told them as he handed over a clipboard containing multiple signatures of students also against the throwing of books.

"Thanks Sena, we owe you much for this." She told him but he just shook his head. "Nah, I caused a lot of trouble in the end actually."

He really didn't know what to say in this situation so he just shrugged and turned away. "I don't have anything to do this Saturday so if you need any help to move a few books then you know who to call."

And he left just like that. Everyone else got inside and decided to talk about their arrangements privately. Luckily, other students came in much later. Though some of them suspect that someone had a hand in turning away students from getting near the library.

In the middle of all of this… a certain God of Conquest is walking home with a game console on his hand. He was furiously tapping away on the buttons to finish the game.

He was most certainly not trying to forget about what happened earlier.

Nope, didn't happen! He would deny it all the way until he slept.

Sadly for him, this little event isn't over just yet.

To be continued…

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Now this is a lot better than I expected it would be. Some of you voiced out your distaste for OCs… especially my OC but I can't really say anything that would justify that.**

 **I'll just accept the dissatisfaction of having him there. I don't plan on removing him soon and the role he fulfills is rather important. Other than that, I cannot say much else.**

 **Let me be honest with you guys here. As I don't think I can waste more on saying this next time. So if any of you don't want to hear bad news. Then please skip to the end. I'll space them out so that you guys can ignore it if you want.**

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 **So, for the past four years, I have been dealing with a lot of problems. But my biggest problem as of recent is… my Mom is dying.**

 **I cannot really say it any better than that. Because four years ago, she was diagnosed with cancer after an operation involving a cyst on her ovaries. You can understand where this is headed to.**

 **So, we decided on a lot of things. Most of which I wasn't happy about at first but I came around. I also try to have time to work on the story but that didn't go anywhere until just recently.**

 **I decided to work for my dad on his tailoring business. The Philippines isn't really big on jobs and if there are any available I don't have the qualifications to apply.**

 **The only job that accepted me was a Data Encoder related one with a company I shall leave unnamed. I left only four months after because the days of continued overtime has left me cranky and the constant shift from morning to evening isn't helping with my health. My health isn't terrible but I can tell you that the food I was eating there wasn't healthy either.**

 **So, any time now my Mom would die. She doesn't have much time left so I decided to do as she wished. One of them was getting a job, particularly helping dad work. Currently, I am doing fine and this gave me a flexible work schedule where I just need to do a bit of work at a time for him.**

 **I hope you guys can understand why it took so long to reach this far. I know some of you have been waiting for an update so I am making up for lost time now.**

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 **Anyway, this is a good time to think about the next girl. You guys may not know this but I have plans for the next girl. It isn't exactly something some of you would like but I think having her as my test subject for my ideas may prove more enjoyable in the long run.**

 **Truth be told, I wanted to write her next but I decided to move her in till the last second. Her role is getting a much needed promotion from the original and fans of her will rejoice. Trust me, after all this time her appearance will be totally worth it.**

 **Until next time, also please don't leave any reviews about my personal life. Just leave what you think of the story. Well, if you can't help it then please keep it brief. The next chapter is a continuation of Shiori and the last chapter. Hope to see you there soon.**


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